#at this point I want to believe they went on clearance sale

[theside-b]

This is the third post I make talking about being distracted by the visuals of this show but dear lord, the gaming chair in Kai's apartment sticks out like a sore thumb.

The whole place has this old run-down japanese apartment vibe and then there is this brand new leather gaming chair and I question... who da hell was responsible for the set design of this show?!

[deathtodickens]

Later...

Claudia: Why do you look like that, man?

Pete: I can't get this bronzer to come off.

Claudia: Did you get the temporary stuff?

Pete: Tem... porary?

Claudia: Dude.

Pete: Huh, well that explains that.

Claudia: Why do you even have it on to begin with? And so much?

Steve enters the kitchen, stops and stares at Pete.

Steve: Who won an Oscar?

Claudia laughs, pointing at Pete.

Pete: Ha ha very funny.

Claudia: It was.

Pete: Hey, leave the jokes to a professional, okay? Of which, I am.

Steve: Not at all shockingly, you truly believe that.

Pete: It's the first day of October. I'm just trying out a few costumes before the 31st, to see if I can get H.G. back into the spirit of Halloween.

Steve: I wish you were lying.

Claudia: Do we want H.G. back in the spirit of Halloween? I recall the last Halloween that she was into being a bit too spirity.

Pete: Of course, we do--

Steve: Not. We absolutely do not. Do you not remember what happened?

Pete: Yeah, we all went on an amazingly awesome adventure in the Warehouse, together, as a family. We fought off animated Halloween decorations that stalked us in the dark. Myka used the zip-line upside-down like a bad ass to save her wife from encroaching darkness. And then we blew up every light in the warehouse to level an army of murderous, soul-snatching plastic skeletons--

Steve: That took us days to clean up...

Claudia: I'm still changing lightbulbs...

Pete: --and I'm not so sure all of those skeletons were plastic.

Claudia: It was kind of fun blowing up the Warehouse. You know, in a not-destructive kind of way.

Steve: No, no. It was destructive. It was a very destructive kind of way.

Claudia: Right. Sure. But we didn't have to artifact it back.

Pete: What's another warehouse explosion amongst friends, huh?

Claudia: I mean, I do still have some light bombs stashed away in my room. Don't tell Artie.

Pete: That's the spirit!

Steve: I just want to drink hot tea, read a book, and watch the weather change from the comfort of my own bed, in my own room. Is that so much to ask?

Steve does not wait for an answer. He turns and leaves the kitchen.

Abigail enters in his place, she stops and stares at Pete.

Then bursts into laughter.

Abigail: I really thought Myka was pulling my leg when she said you'd lathered yourself up in bronzer, just to play a prank on Helena.

Pete: It wasn't a prank. It was encouragement. She loves Halloween!

Abigail: She loved Halloween. I think the soul-snatching skeletal remains of a Spirit Halloween clearance sale sucked that love right out of her.

Pete: Well. She liked my costume.

Abigail: That's not what I heard.

Pete: Then you've heard nothing but dirty, rotten lies.

Abigail: Did she seem amused when you revealed your costume?

Pete: She didn't seem entirely unamused.

Abigail arches a skeptical brow at Pete.

Claudia: What was the prank?

Pete: Not a prank.

Claudia: What was the not-a-prank?

Abigail: Apparently, when Helena questioned him about (Abigail gestures toward Pete with her hand) this, he said, very enthusiastically, that he'd been bronzed.

Claudia: Peter Jenkins Lattimer.

Pete: That is not my middle name.

Claudia: The woman has trauma!

Pete: It was inspiration!

Claudia: Fueled by nightmares!

Abigail: I don't think the woman who spent a century encased in bronze needs to be inspired. Like, at all.

Pete: That was a century ago.

Claudia: No, it started a century ago. She's barely been free for one decade.

Abigail: You do know she remained conscious the entire time.

Pete: I know she remained conscious the entire time.

Claudia: And was so fucked up when she got out, all she wanted to do was destroy the world and everyone in it.

Pete: I mean, I was there. So yeah. I do recall her attempting to, at one point in time, destroy the world and everyone in it. Thankfully Myka's hotness saved our asses.

Claudia gasps.

Pete: What?

Claudia: You did bronzeface!

Pete: What? No. That's not a thing.

Claudia: You're doing it right now!

Pete looks to Abigail.

Abigail: Don't look at me. I was born this way.

Claudia: I can't believe you did bronzeface at H.G.

Pete: Stop saying it like it's a thing.

Claudia: People from the bronze sector do not deserve to be mocked in your incessant quest for validation and frights.

Pete: They are literally criminals.

Abigail: Wow, Pete. I really thought better of you.

Pete: You know what, I'm just going to go take a very long and very hot shower until either the bronzer or my skin comes off. Whichever happens first.

Pete exits.

Claudia, laughing and calling after Pete: Hey, maybe try painting yourself blue tomorrow instead. Pretty sure none of us has ever been Smurfed.

Claudia and Abigail fall into a fit of laughter.

Somewhere between the kitchen and the upstairs bathroom, Pete retrieves his phone from his pocket and says, "Hey Siri?"

She appears.

And Pete whispers into his phone, "What is bronzeface?"

[usafphantom2]

Ben Rich’s book “Skunk Works” is the best book I’ve read about what went on behind the scenes when they built the SR 71 highly recommended. Here is the scoop on the book: my father worked very closely with Ben as Dad was the Director of special projects for the Skunk Works.

I think Ben knew something was wrong with his health before the tumor was found. He told me he wanted to get the book, “Skunk Works,” done before he was too old and couldn’t remember things. He talked about Kelly and how he lost it before he could write more things down and others he knew who had put off writing until it was too late. ( Ben died of cancer of the esophagus age 69)

He asked me to help with the book. I talked into a tape recorder for about an hour and gave it to him. When the book came out, every story I told had been changed a little bit. I believe it was done so the Government could deny the story if asked by the Russians. Also, the CIA deleted the Glomar Explorer and Sea Shadow. It was for security issues, but they wanted to take the credit themselves. The book AZORIAN brings up the K-129 sounds like the CIA did it all by themselves.

I believe the real message he wanted to give the country was that our ability to do things fast, cheap, and right the first time was quickly going away. The defense acquisition process in Washington was killing activities like the SW. And it did, just like he predicted.

-60 Minutes the TV Show-

When Ben’s book was being published, his publisher was looking for ways to promote the book. Somehow, they got 60 minutes interested, and Ben gave them my name to be interviewed for the program. I did not know Ben had given my name to them. I never watch 60 Minutes because of how badly they treated the military and always only told half the story.

They called one night at home and asked me when they could talk to me about going on the show. I told them, “I wouldn’t appear on your sleazy bag program if you paid me.” A few minutes later, Ben called; he was distraught. I believe this was the only time ever that Ben and I argued.

Ben was looking at it from his point of view: how to get the book sales going. I knew that 60 Minutes did not want to discuss what was in the book, as they had told Ben. They wanted to talk about what was not in the book, and I told Ben so. The CIA and Air Force, who had given security clearance for the release of the book, had changed all the stories in the book that I had given to Ben a little. They, 60 Minutes, were going to ask, in my opinion, things like, how many times did you fly over China? , Russia? , Cuba? And on and on.

After about one hour of going back and forth with Ben, I agreed to go on the show, but only if Air Force Security sat next to me and any question for 60 minutes asked, security, would tell me if I could answer or not.

Sixty minutes would not go for this arrangement at all, so my input to the show was canceled. A few days later, the Lockheed VP of Corporate Communications came to see me in the Washington Office. She said that you do not have the right, as a Lockheed employee, to turn down such a request as to appear on 60 minutes. I told her, “I am not paid by Lockheed to go on 60 minutes or any other show that is what they pay the CEO to do.” I never heard from her again. Written by Colonel Richard “Butch” Sheffield.

This should give you an idea of the kind of personality that my father had. I sure do miss him. ~Linda

@Habubrats71 via x

[draftmare]

Quick and dirty review time!

My boot problem has been solved thanks to the wonders of Facebook groups. I found a seller with not one, but TWO pairs of Ariat boots in my size, BRAND NEW that they were selling for half of retail. So, I grabbed them both. I've only had them for a week, so here is my quick first impressions, because despite them being the exact same size, they fit very differently.

The first pair are the Ariat Kinsley dress boots. These are very much a typical "sock leather" type boot. I broke the zipper pull on one of the boots the first time I went to try them on, oops, but $30 later it has a new, much heavier duty zipper pull on it.

They are a little baggy around the back of my calf, but this is a problem I tend to have with a lot of boots. I don't so much need an XW calf in most boots for my calf itself, I need it for the area directly behind my knees. Because they are a thinner leather, they will likely be my showing, clinicing, and lessoning boots. The second pair are the Ariat V Sport boots. I have wanted a pair of these for a few years but could never seem to get my act together on buying them. I LOVE these. They fit my leg like a glove. None of the baggy behind the calf issue. If it weren't for the textured leather on the outer shaft, I might even show in them. They also have a thick, but soft leather on the inside panel that makes me hope that they will hold up to a lot of hours schooling in the saddle.

My only complaint with these is the footbed is very narrow. I am hoping that will break-in and loosen up with time and use, but the Kinsley boots had a much wider footbed right out of the box that was much more comfortable.

During the Black Friday sales I picked up the Collegiate ComfiTech Vogue bridle. A tack shop I stumbled across had it on clearance, and then let me stack their 20% off code on top of the clearance price. I have been low-key-no-key looking for a non-crank bridle for Sydney, so I decided to give this one a try.

For the price point I am pleasantly surprised with the leather quality. It's very supple out of the box, and with some leather conditioner I think it could be quite lovely. Unfortunately, I ran into a few issues with this bridle for Sydney specifically. First off, the buckle for the flash wanted to lay directly on her lips. You can see it does the same thing on the model horse as well.

This is really poor design, and I did not notice this when I was buying the bridle, or I would have passed on it entirely. The flash is fixed, so I can't slide the buckle into a better position. The other issue is that these bridles seem to run absolutely massive. I was basically on the last hole with the noseband, and I still couldn't get it to sit quite right on her face. She does have a very short face for a draft cross though. So, this was a fail for me, but hopefully somebody else will be able to use it.

Finally, I have to talk about my new favorite brand of gloves, Kunkle. I was first introduced to them 2-ish years ago when I showed up at a show without my gloves. At that time they were only offering black, mesh backed gloves, but those gloves almost immediately became my new favorite gloves. At the end of the show I went back to the tack trailer and bought another pair for schooling. During my last trip to the tack shop I discovered that they have vastly expanded their offering to include non-mesh gloves and winter gloves, of which I picked up a pair of each. Their gloves run $40 - $50, and honestly have a lot of the same good feel and quality of Roeckl, which I believe start at $60 and go on up from there. I own a LOT of pairs of Roeckl gloves, and most of them are on their last legs, so I am slowly going to be replacing them with these Kunkle gloves instead.

[televinita]

Things I Am So Excited To Do With My 1-2 Days Off*!!!

*1-2 days not yet guaranteed but I got to quit at 2:00 today (have to go back for at least part of tomorrow) and I am ready for a weekday break before the next project because I have crammed in soooo much fun lately, with more on deck, that I can barely remember it all at this point.

1. Process The Fall Guy: queue gifs, form some words about it maybe?, novelize!!!! do u know how long it's been since I loved something on screen enough to transform it into narrative for myself. (I do. Seven months, Loki S2. I used to have stuff, multiple things!, every week) Also figure out what actual romance novels I want to find to finish working through it.

1.5. Probably also watch it again. Maybe even in theater?? oh shoot I would have to do that tomorrow for the cheap tickets...

2. Process the Abbott Elementary finale, which somehow was incredible and actually made me ship Gregory & Janine again after the season from hell so bad that just last week, I actively declared that I was so done with them and their excruciating secondhand embarrassment and cringe interactions that I would actually be angry and icked out now if they got together??

3. Process the Survivor finale and the 2700 feelings I am having about EVERYONE in the final 3 (so good!! which I would not have believed at the beginning of the season if you'd told me) and, once again, the several novels through which I would like to process this.

4. Reading triage? / generally process the absurd amount of library checkouts I already have and yet just replenished again so I can make some kind of reading plan to actually enjoy them

5. Sit outside and read! (I did this for a bit today, was great)

6. Write Goodreads reviews (I am like 10 behind)

7. Find a new movie to watch because I finally splurged on a bag of fire-roasted sweet corn flavored popcorn and omg the flavor is amazing, even better than the best microwave popcorn. I've only let myself sample a small taste so far because it would be so perfect with a ridiculous movie.

8. Process the (possibly absurd) number of things I found at Half Price Books this weekend during their 20% off sale because i did something bad (pretended I did not already buy an absurd # of books at library sales last month and went to four locations. but all their clearance sections were so full and fruitful even on the 3rd and final day of said sale!!)

9. Clean?? I would like to clear the area around the work table enough to vacuum it out. The entire dining nook, if possible. Maybe even move the table all the way off the rug, shake it out and vacuum underneath that? (this is definitely a full-day project...but I also have two books I'm specifically interested in listening to as audiobooks, at regular speed)

10. Write my book posts for the other blog for June 11th & 18th, two weeks I will absolutely be too busy to focus on for such fun Top Ten Tuesday topics.

11. Off #7, sample the many delicious things that either I or my husband have bought lately (we each have our favorite grocery store that the other basically never goes to, and we have cleaned UP on sales and/or splurged on limited-edition items lately. it will actually take me multiple days to work through even trying them, so as not to overload my system with too much junk)

12. Visit parents

13. Get books ready to sell to Half Price (there's no way I'm going even make a dent in undoing the absurd hauls, but I gotta at least try! the thrill of the new books pushed at least four titles I was on the fence about relinquishing firmly into the "bye bye bye" camp)

14. Take at least one nice long walk; the weather is so good this week!!!

15. LAUNDRY

16. I have to return at least one library item and make two pickup stops also (but I think, I hope??) that's it for the errand-running I have to do at least

17. Catch up on BookTube!! Ohmigosh I've been so busy having fun offline I haven't watched any videos in like a week.

[discoveringthebible]

In my years of being a Christian and studying the Bible, I am convinced that God can and does use anyone, even if they blatantly reject or oppose God.

This week I had such an encounter.

I wear glasses. Anyone who knows me, knows I wear black or very dark frames and avoid metal ones.

I noticed that my prescription was changing as my current glasses weren't working as well as they used to. I'm currently in limbo between short term and long term disability because of a bad hip. But glasses are an absolute necessity.

I went to my local Eyeglass World after praying, asking God to help me find a good deal on glasses. They usually have a pretty good prices.

After my eye exam, I went looking for clearance glasses. I have no money coming in, what I have is from very generous friends. ❤

After looking for glasses for quite some time, I decided I was going to have to go back to metal frames just so I could afford something. I was so bummed. The optometrist assisting me noticed my frustration and asked if I was OK.

I explained my dilemma, almost crying. She said, "I understand completely. I just got back on my feet after 7 years. Let me see if there is anything I can do for you." She found a deal for 30% off 1 pair of glasses. Normally they have a buy 1 get 1 sale, but utilizing that in the past, I always only wore one pair.

As she got everything going on the computer, it was recommended I get the lighter lenses because my prescription is so high. Even with the discount it was going to cost over $260! I started crying. There was no way I was going to be able to afford that. I asked her what it would cost to get the thick lenses and the price dropped $120. Although more manageable, the cost was going to severely impact me. $140 for glasses and an eye exam is a great deal, but even then I wasn't sure about it. I did have enough to cover it, but I have more bills and things to pay for.

A gentleman, around my parents' age, had overheard my conversation. And the story of me trying to get my book published. And what my book is about. He handed the woman assisting me $100 to help with the cost.

I couldn't believe it.

I stood up, burst into tears, trying to thank him through them. He said, "I couldn't help but overhear and I, uh, we, wanted to help you." He pointed at his wife or girlfriend. I asked him if I could give him a hug and he agreed. After the hug she said, "We don't believe in Jesus, but we wanted to still help you."

They overheard me talking about my finished book, "The Case for Christian Inclusivity: How the Misinterpretation of Scripture Paved the Way for Church Homophobia, Pedophilia and Sexual Assault."

After deciding to go with the thick lenses, it came to $138.60. Minus the $100 and I got my new glasses for under $40!! 🤓

After I paid, the man and his S.O. were still in the store. I asked him if I could give him another hug and he said yes. He introduced himself as: "Stephen. My first name is actually Michael, but I go by my middle name Stephen."

Thank you Stephen. I will think of you every time I put on my glasses.

Pic below are my new glasses.

God is good and God uses any and all of His Creation when they are open to it.

Peace, Blessings and Love

Cody Marie

[zilabee]

Freda Kelly

Bobbie Brown was the girl who went to The Cavern and started a fan club for The Beatles. Now, I couldn't understand why The Beatles had a fan club, because they were just a local group, but I eventually ended up helping Bobbie, and then Bobbie got a boyfriend and lost interest in running the Beatles fan club, so I took over from there.

I was one of the ones that bought [Love Me Do], and I didn't have a record player, and there was loads of girls like me that didn't have record players, but we bought it just to boost the sales.

I just know Eppy coming up to me, and he then told me that he was signing The Beatles and he was starting his own firm and he needed a secretary. Then he said, did I want to come and work for them, and I said "Oh, go on then." I just remember saying, "Oh go on then."

At one point, she confesses to having had crushes on each of the Fab Four. Did the crush ever turn into anything more serious? "Pass." She gives a naughty grin. "We were all teenagers – use your imagination."

"The amount of personal attention and true affection that she served the Beatles' fans with - teenage girls, mostly - will probably go unmatched throughout music history." - - - - Ryan White

"A lot of people didn't take these girls seriously, but I did, because, you know, I was one of them... I was a fan myself."

[The film 'Good Ol Freda' was given] clearance to use four original Beatles songs for the soundtrack – no mean feat, given that approval was required from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison. "I'm not easily impressed," says Kelly, "but when the director told me over Skype that we'd got four songs, I got a big lump in my throat. I thought: 'They still remember.'"

"I never wanted to write a book. There are so many books out there already. Also, I always thought they would want the juice, the argument bit, and I don't believe in that."

"I was taken along for this ten year, exciting ride and then dropped off on the corner where I started it."

What would she say if she met them now?

Kelly smiles, eyes shining. It is suddenly easy to see the sweet, excitable 17-year-old she once was. She glances towards the door, hair swinging to one side, as if imagining one of the Beatles walking in from the car park.

"I can't see me going hysterical or fainting," she says. "Hopefully I'd say: "Do you want a cup of tea?"

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

2, 9, 47, 81, 100

Ooh, thank you!

Questions from here: https://beyondthetemples-ooc.tumblr.com/post/690794645143355392/get-to-know-me-uncomfortably-well

2.) How old are you?

29! And a third, I guess, if we want to get technical.

(Am I counting the moments until I turn thirty? Nooo! /s /j )

9.) How tall are you?

5'3.5 exactly! I'm relatively compact. My mother says there's no way I'm only 5'3 but she also doesn't seem to notice that I Am, In Fact, Shorter Than Her. (Any paper you look on where people measured me has an equal chance of saying 5'3 and 5'4. I only know it's 3.5 exactly because a doctor pointed it out with delight because apparently people don't usually come up to Exactly The Halfway Line.)

47.) What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

Ooh... Does it count if I didn't spend the money on it? Because I have a cloak that was like $175 originally, but my mother never wore it, and when I expressed admiration for how pretty it was, she gave it to me. That's my black velvet cloak lined with purple satin. It desperately needs hemmed because the entire bottom hem has grown frayed and disheveled.

If I had to be the one who spent the money on it, probably a $75ish dress-robe-thing I got from Killstar way back when. That was how much I spent anyways; it was on sale and I forget how much it originally was. I put it in the basement when I moved to this house and it utterly vanished. Not too happy about that one... XP It was really neat, it had long elegant drapey sleeves and a relaxed fit hood, the hem flared out a little for Elegant Flow when walking, and I think it went down to my knees but not in a straight cut, AND it was in a very light fabric, so I didn't overheat! Stretchy too, so it was pretty shapely.

If I had to spend the money on it AND know where it is... That's also gotta be something from Killstar I'm sure, I just don't remember how much each individual dress cost. Definitely one of the maxi-dresses though. (I only buy their clothes when it's Clearance Time. They do this sale once a year where everything on clearance is an extra 40% off, and I get these "luxury brand" level items for little more than you'd spend on a t-shirt at Walmart! I really don't care about ~Brands~, but Killstar has killer sales and that's why I have so many of their dresses.)

81.) Can you roll your Rs?

Yes, quite well too! Both the Spanish way and the Finnish way, and it's a good thing too because I took Spanish in school for three years and I'm learning Finnish as a hobby. (Aggressively rolling the Rs when you're saying "perkele" is an Important Part of speaking Finnish! ;P )

I actually taught myself how to mimic a cat purring on the tip of my tongue before I learned Spanish, and it's essentially a very fast rrrroll. So when it came time to pronounce Spanish in middle school, I was a bit ahead of the game.

100.) Color of your room?

Generally blue, silver, and black. The walls are a medium-darkish denim blue. (Believe it or not, that was Not my decision! Brother painted it when he was in here before I moved back in.) Most of my decor is either in black or silver, except for two of the book cases which are VERY dark brown. The smol decorations are mostly black and blue, but there's some gold and silver in here too. Even the chinchilla and bird cages are in black, silver, and blue. Heck, most of the birds themselves are blue-gray; one of my chinchillas is black (the other's white). And I guess there are books of every color, but even those tend towards blue and black!

[razorblade180]

Interdimensional Moms part 2

Part 1 <-

Yang:Okay Weiss, your turn.

Weiss:What!? Why me?

Blake:Because you’ve been bouncing in your seat all through Yang’s story. You clearly want to gush about your kids.

Weiss:Pffft, What!? Nooooo, a little. Hehehe I can’t believe I’m that obvious. *smiles*

Ruby:Aww look at you, I never believe Weiss Schnee could look as warm as campfire.

Yang:And wearing mom jeans!? Little jealous that you still look completely gorgeous. Why does mom energy make you prettier?

Weiss:What can I say? I’m great. As far as my universe goes, I argue that I’m the strongest mom!

Blake:Such a bold claim.

Weiss:I carried twins! *points to self* this body handled two buns in the oven!

Ruby:Couldn’t be me. *shutters* I’d sooner loose an eye. Speaking of eyes, your scar has a friend. Got this whole upside down cross basically.

Weiss:Oh that? That’s uhhhh- how would I even explain this?

Yang:And your hair! It’s short!

Ruby:Yeah you’re just a surprise all over.

Blake:Guys, let her start from the beginning!

Ruby and Yang:Oh right. *covers mouths*

Weiss:(Yep, they’re the same sisters anywhere.) Thank you Blake. Now then...a good starting place? Well I suppose I could lay the ground work of Jaune and I getting better acquainted. It was about two weeks into reaching Atlas. Winter learned I got impaled and berated me not giving any kind of thanks. Since I had waited so long to do so, words wouldn’t do for her standards and she made me take him to a proper dinner. I think it was that night we actually talked openly to each other. A piece of me was annoyed at first because I thought he’d get the wrong idea again. But...he didn’t. He was just happy to spend time with me. That’s when I realized he had changed a bit *red* and apparently I changed too. Sigh, because that annoyed feeling was actually me forming a crush.

Blake:Looks like you changed more than he did. I think we can all agree that we’re pretty rough to deal with at Beacon in the beginning?

Yang:Hell yeah!

Ruby:Preach! Hehe, but it meant you grew the most too.

Weiss:Hey! You’re all assuming that I was terrible! Who knows, I could a Saint compared to your Weiss. Maybe I was a sweetheart at Beacon.

RBY:.....

Yang:Were you?

Weiss:*red* I’ll never tell.

Blake:(That’s just a no...) Two weeks into Atlas huh? I bet feelings raged whenever the whole place was under attack huh?

Weiss:W...What attack? Barely anything happened in Atlas.

Blake:Excuse me?

Ruby:Pfft what? You’re joking right? There wasn’t any threat of things falling out the sky or war threats?

Weiss:No? We showed up, put the relic in vault, and took time fortifying things while planning with Ironwood. The most exciting thing was a grimm wave and two of Salem’s goons showing up at a ball, but we handled that.

Ruby:....I...that’s...oh my head.

Blake:So what you’re saying is time in Atlas was a piece of cake?

Weiss:Well I had to deal with my father and and a lot of other family drama so I wouldn’t say it was cake. It was actually very stressful.

Yang:Well I think we found the massive shift between worlds. Atlas was different. I would say I dealt with anything like falling kingdoms. Atlas for me was one long Mission Impossible sequence. Espionage, jail break, fake deaths, but please continue with your love story.

Weiss:You sound a little envious. Anyways there isn’t too much of anything to tell in that part. Dates, fighting together, sibling healing, I was disowned publicly, Penny was being amazing-

Blake:You were disowned?

Ruby:(Penny is...alive? Huh, well, imagine that?) .....

Yang:*whispers* You okay Rubes?

Ruby:Yeah, processing. Hey Weiss? Not to control the narrative or anything, but how is your Ruby exactly? I get the feeling she’s quite different from me somehow if things like the adventure in Atlas are different.

Weiss rubbed her chin. She could tell the Ruby in front of her was pretty perplexed by the differences so far. In fact, Weiss could tell mentioning Penny made them all flinch a little. It was safe to assume they all hadn’t heard that name in a very long time. It made her feel a little bad. Did she somehow get a more ideal world?

Weiss:I think I might be able to answer that if you could humor me by getting a little further into my world’s reality? I don’t know how but I do get a since the two of you might have a key difference.

Ruby:I’m all ears.

Weiss: Blake, I’ll circle back to being disowned a little later. It’s one of the biggest reasons I am who I am now. Let’s see now, ah, the plan. After Atlas was infiltrated it was hard to save face to the rest of Remnant. That was until the world learned about Salem. It was a secret that was doing more harm than good at this point. On that day, our journey really began for us. Team RWBY wasn’t just four girls and their friends. It was one of four four girls commanding troops, organizing meetings, rallying others. We were the face of a revolution: along with JNPR of course.

Ruby:The world just...believed in Salem?

Weiss:There were plenty skeptics, but it’s harder not to believe it. Pen- our winter maiden, showed off magic. Then the others on our side followed the example. We had two relics to show off from the start, and a variety of ways to explain questions throughout history that nobody could answer before. We gave humanity’s suffering a face. People were more than eager to cling to it. From that point it was hard for Salem to make a move that wouldn’t give further validity to our story.

Ruby:An army huh, lead by us?

Weiss:Yep, mainly you when it came to the battlefield. You were anxious at first and definitely made moves that you regretted. But...after some time and experience, you stood tall in front of dozens to give a speech the night of the final battle. I still get chills. There wasn’t an eye that wasn’t on you. A person who didn’t want to march into battle with you. I don’t think I ever seen you more sure of where you were meant to be.

Ruby:Is that so? Hmm, I think...I think I get it now. Your Ruby must’ve stumbled quite a bit, but had people by her consistently. It was other’s strength that enabled her to get stronger. How old was she when the war was over?

Weiss:It ended on her twenty first birthday.

Ruby:Makes sense. An army isn’t made in a day. Plans and caution for everyone involved. A united force like that sounds like a thing Oz dreamed of.

Weiss:Actually, it was. My world beat Salem by gaining the relics. The gods witnessed the effort the world put in and stripped her of immortality. It was actually thanks to you that Salem went peacefully. Instead of damning her to a cruel fate, the gods let her pass on to her kids per your request. After that, gods and magic came back. Both are still mysterious. The gods are hard to find and there’s only one person born with magic so far.

Yang:Magic is a thing there!? That’s so unfair! Just imagine me with more fire!?

Weiss:Like you need it!? You’re already like a generator. Life after Salem wasn’t any calmer really. Terrifying grimm lurked where their could, an entire new way of life had been dropped on society, and even the world itself seemed to react. Weather has been more intense as of late. There was a lot things to keep people busy. Ruby being her usual self, started hunting. Blake used the momentum of faunus and humans working together to further her equality agenda, and Yang helped both of you out.

Yang:Look at me! I’m a great girlfriend and sister!

Blake:*mumbles* There at least.

Weiss:Yeah. Oscar and Penny decided to embarrass more of normal lifestyle, mostly. Penny went back to being protector of Mantle, but had way more free time to be a normal girl. Both of them had gotten really close over the years and eventually married.

Ruby:*wide eyed* Awwww, good for them! I always had a feeling those two would hit it off.

Weiss:They weren’t the only ones. You may have been busy, but you always made time for Whitley. The two of you were dating since our original trip to Atlas. There wasn’t a problem that either of you didn’t come to me for. You know hard it is to navigate other people’s relationships when you’re lost in your own? The blind was leading the blind. Worked out though. You were probably the prettiest bride out of all of us. Then again, you went ours and literally took notes.

Ruby:Hehe, that sounds exactly like something I’d do. You haven’t talked much about the charmed life after the war for you.

Weiss felt her face heat up. She placed her head on the table as if she gave up on something.

Yang:Yeah! Give us the scoop!

Weiss:Charmed isn’t what I’d call my life exactly. I was disowned, completely cut off. Even though I made my own mark in history, it’s not like people were gonna roll out red carpets. The world had to rebuild, and I needed a roof over my head. Thus began the modest life of Weiss Schnee, owner of a two bedroom Argus apartment. Fancy clothes a food were no more. Just clearance sales and two for one. Honestly, I didn’t hate. But that’s mainly because I wasn’t living alone.

Blake:Jaune?

Weiss:Living back home was just as unappealing for him as it was for me. That and the fact that I couldn’t cook for shit was concerning, to say the least. Moving in and splitting rent just made sense. We weren’t dating yet technically, but.....it didn’t take long for the relationship between us to...expand.

Yang:I cannot believe a Weiss Schnee finally caved to tall blonde and scraggly. I should be jealous, but I’m strangely proud of Jaune’s achievement. It’s like the first time I lost to him. I was upset, but man did he work for that win.

Weiss:Took about a month before all of you had learned just what the living situation was like and man did you three let the teasing begin? *smiles* it was fun though. If I had to wrong about something then I’m glad it was about me not thinking a person is reliable. Especially since they’ve bailed me out of trouble many times. Normal life had its pitfalls. We were constantly working to pay rent. Sometimes one of us had to work harder. Getting sick was disastrous, of long term assignments. What’s the relationship I have with Whitley in the other worlds?

Ruby:Casual. The two of are always throwing ideas back and forth to help the company.

Blake:The two of you are fine. I’m not too sure how much you actually hang out, but you both are pretty snarky whenever you’re together.

Yang:Thick as thieves. That man was always shifting money and finding sneaky ways to let us know when important things popped up.

Weiss:Good, that’s really good. *exhales* I can’t count the times he sent money without father knowing. I’m glad we reconnected. Without his and everyone’s help, I don’t think I would’ve managed. Especially when mom died...

Ruby:Oh. I...I’m sorry to hear that.

Weiss:It’s bound to happen when you drink the way she did. But yeah, didn’t handle it any easier. Between that and stressing over money, I really got overwhelmed often. I was very glad I didn’t live alone. Even if I didn’t want to talk about things, Jaune was always there to listen. I think it was around that time I realized just how in love I actually was with him. He makes me happy. That idiot must’ve known how much of a weakness I had for him. It was only a few months later that he proposed.

The simple memory of Jaune asking her under a street light on a cold yet peaceful night, made Weiss’s face a healthy shade of red. A gentle smile was all she could make thinking about it. A smile that left everyone stunned. They had never seen Weiss look so warm. So genuinely filled with love, happiness. To think she was once called Ice Queen? This one really did look like an Angel. Weiss quit daydreaming and got a little embarrassed.

Weiss:Uh, sorry! I guess I little mushy there. I’ve been told I’ve gotten pretty sappy through the years.

Blake:I think that’s beautiful.

Yang:Seriously. I’m...speechless really.

Ruby:A hardworking Weiss that struggled making ends meet. I gotta say that you look good doing it.

Weiss:Yeah well, that time has passed. My father got sick and in an attempt to “clear his conscious” or whatever he was feeling, he put me back in the family. I only saw him once when he was on his deathbed. Truthfully, I don’t visit my parent’s grave. I wanna say old emotions don’t get stirred up, but there’s certain feelings towards people that just can’t die I guess.

Yang:That’s fair. Who knows, maybe you just need a decade or two?

Weiss:Hehe, perhaps. However, before I got my fortune back, I was granted an either better one. Two in fact. That sly knight of mine managed to overachieve like he always does and give us a boy and girl.

Blake:I got a sneaking suspicion that you weren’t upset?

Weiss:Not for one second! I love my babies. My darling little Nick and Summer Schnee. One named after our grandfather, and Jaune and I are both really thankful for all that Ruby has done for us, so our daughter got named Summer. It meant a lot. My Ruby...she can’t have kids, or I should say getting and staying pregnant is extremely difficult.

Ruby:...*sniffling* These aren’t tears by the way. Just dust.

Weiss:My Ruby cried.

Ruby:Oh I bet! That’s some powerful stuff. Probably ugly cried too. Someone please say something? *misty eyed* Fuck, man that was a lot. *puts hood up* give me a sec, please keep going. *holding Yang’s hand*

Yang:Weiss, weren’t you a little scared about your living situation?

Weiss:It was a weird thing. We talked about having a family before hand. Money was always a concern, as well space; but I also knew that I did want to have a family of my own one day. So when the day came that the nurse told me I was pregnant, I should’ve been more worried. I wasn’t. All I felt was joy. Maybe it was because I had faith we could handle anything. We did have you all to help. Yang, you might as well be a superwoman honestly. You have been so amazing throughout my life.

Yang:Aye! I really love this other me.

Blake:What about me?

Weiss:You remain the most sensible person in my life and I thank you for it. Everyone else is crazy.

Blake:Yeah that’s pretty on brand. *smiles*

Ruby:Picture please?

Weiss gladly pulled out her scroll and showed off her children. It was quick to see both of them had gotten their father’s dorkiness. They stood in front of the camera playfully winking and were pretending to take a bite out the gold medals they had around their necks. It was crazy how much Summer looked like her mother, but clearly had Jaune’s eyes. Her brother on the other hand had the Schnee eyes and messy Arc hair. The two looked like barrels of fun. Then there was the man himself, Jaune Arc. He looked from the one in Yang’s photo. His hair resembled his days traveling to Haven and he was clean shaven, but he was noticeably healthier. It wasn’t even a physical thing much, though he did look good. He just seemed more vibrant.

Yang:Mine is cuter.

Weiss:Yours looks like your dad with the scruff.

Yang:Can you not?

Blake:How old?

Weiss:Sixteen. Little devils want sports car. I’m not dealing with that. Nick is really good at figure skating and is the oldest, so he’s the heir. Summer decided to be a little like her mother and pursue singing. Doesn’t have my voice though, but her range is better than me. I’m jealous. Both of them are always pretty decent in a fight if I do say so myself. Sigh, they grow up so fast. They still have a lot of growing to do though. Teenagers...

RBY:Preach...

Ruby:Everything okay though? Nothing too tough going on?

Weiss:Can I lie and say yes?

Yang:Hey I unpacked my baggage. Unload yours.

Weiss let out a large sigh. She looked at her kids lovingly, but had a smile that seemed...somber. All of her energy was brought down a bit and it showed.

Yang:Umm if it’s too much-

Weiss:It’s fine. It might be a little therapeutic to talk about it. Personally, I don’t I’m doing all I really can do. When they were very young, we all took a trip to go skating at a frozen lake. While I was there I found this strange ice dust that I’ve never seen before. Nick and Summer had gotten into a fight and by accident, Nick set off the dust. The shrapnel from it hit everyone, but Summer had it the worse. I’m talking it was lodged in her in multiple places. Not to mention the blast sent her flying into the water. I was hit so hard that I nearly blacked out. Thankfully, Jaune was the furthest and dove into the water while I managed to get Nick. He avoided a lot of it due to distance and was winded more than anything.

Ruby:Christ...

Blake:How young?

Weiss:Five. We rushed so fast to the hospital as soon as we could. The dust in Summer was freezing her until Nick activated her semblance and most of the shards got used up. Still, Summer ended up hospitalized for almost a year. Surgeries, comas, seizures; it was difficult to put it lightly. That picture doesn’t show it but she has puncture scars across her body, and a slight scar under her jawline she covers with makeup. That dust, though highly dangerous, it also healed her eventually. Summer had virtually no chance of survival. Not even counting the organ damage, that water should’ve put her into shock. But...she made a full recovery, on paper.

Yang:On paper?

Weiss:Several years later, Summer came in contact with the dust again and she...changed. Her eyes looked like mine, her light blonde hair went white, and she went mad. Her scars glowed with the dust that was still in her system and Summer started attacking everyone. I saw my twelve year old just use ice that was cold enough to burn. My extra scar is from me trying to restrain her. In the end it took my gigas pinning her down before she came to her senses. Summer had no memory of it. She said all remembered was feeling cold and hearing her own laughter. It wasn’t long after that it kept happening. Any time she got cold, this other...thing would come out. It eventually called itself Shiva.

Blake:Shiva? So...it’s a multiple personality?

Weiss:We don’t know. There’s so many inconsistencies. We got her checked up by the best and every test was normal. Her brain looks normal. But any time Shiva comes out, her blood turns blue and all she wants to do is hurt us. Shiva and Summer are even aware of each other now. There’s almost no day where Summer doesn’t hear Shiva in her head, wrestling for control. Between that, people at school who hate her, the scars, everything; Summer has become pretty reserved. She barely wants to go to school and she’s depressed most days. Nowadays she doesn’t open up about it outside of therapy. I...I can connect with her. Not in the way that matters.

Yang:I...shit, I don’t know what to say to that.

Weiss:That’s okay, few do. We’ve gotten good at preventing situations that get Summer cold but it’s through trial and error on something we know nothing about. Even with how far we’ve gotten, there’s a looming fear in everyone’s heart. Make no mistake though, that doesn’t stop any family from loving her with everything, but the mental strain of it all is more than anyone should deal with. Nick is kind soul. He blames himself for this and is constantly doing all he can to be there for everyone and put on this brave face, but he suffers inside. For a time, he went to therapy. Your sister almost killing you is a visceral experience. Getting him to sleep and take a break is like telling a fish not to swim. He is pretty open about this though, which helps a lot. It’s just...how do convince somehow they’re good enough when they think they’re not?

Ruby and Blake:You can’t....

Weiss:Exactly. It��s so...*tearing up* How am I failing at helping my kids worse than my own mother?

Yang:And that’s where I draw the line. *stands up* Now I can’t begin to fathom dealing with a a situation like this, and what I’m about to say is gonna be a little hypocritical but I really don’t care. Weiss, the last thing you are is a bad mother. I could tell immediately from the way you are that there hasn’t been a single as a parent that you haven’t made a choice without your kids in mind. I get feeling like there’s a gap that disconnects you from there; but the fact you keep your arms stretched out to bridge it makes you mother of the year in my eyes! Don’t believe for a second you’re a bad mother. Your the gold standard!

The room filled with silence for a moment. Weiss felt a lump form in her throat as she fought back tears that she eventually had to wipe away. She tried letting out a small laugh, but with it came more tears that ran down her face. Weiss couldn’t tell if it was from Yang’s words, or the stress. All she knew was that right now, she felt very thankful for being here.

Weiss:Damn it Yang, making me cry is something you’ve always been good at. Maybe that’s why I look up to you so much?

Yang:*red* Y-You what?

Weiss:My Yang, I downplayed just how much I adore her. Her daughter, Veronica, she’s got her fair share problems that stresses Yang out, but I never see her stop trying to connect with her. Even when she’s sad it’s like it’s only for a second, then you’re trying twice as hard. It’s amazing. If I’m being honest, and this is embarrassing, but I kinda picked up a mother from you. You’ve always been a bit motherly.

Ruby:She’s right.

Blake:Mom energy since day one.

Yang:Really? *rubs head* I was just being myself. Never really thought about it. Now then, wipe those tears! It’s upsetting that you look pretty why you cry. Meanwhile I look like a hot mess, and not in the fun way.

Weiss:*wiping face* Oh please, I don’t wanna hear that from someone who’s never needed make up. Those genes of your went to Veronica. Kids a genuine beauty. She’s just angry all the time.

Yang:Yeah that sounds appropriate... Weird to think I have a daughter that’s not Yujin. Wish I could see her.

Blake:Me too. Though I think I’d be overwhelmed seeing all my different kids. I’d probably want them all.

Ruby:My hands are full with ones I have and I wouldn’t say I’m juggling them well, so I don’t need other kids from universes. I’d be so stressed.

Weiss:Especially if they’re violent.

Ruby:Yeah, that would bad....

Weiss:Phew, I do feel a bit better. Even though I said all those things, my family still had good times. It’s not tense and we joke around like everyone else. As a family, we’re happy. We just have shit we gotta sort through.

Blake:Rich or poor, life has certain things that hit everyone. Is Jaune doing well.

Weiss:Yeah, he gets through to Summer pretty well, and he’s typically calm when it comes to giving guidance. He had his fears, but that’s why I’m here. We confide in each other.

Blake:May you and everyone else find a light at the end of the tunnel.

Ruby:Hey Weiss. Does....actually, never mind. Forget it.

Yang:We both know that’s not happening. Spit it out.

Ruby:I was just about Shiva. I’ve encountered weird things in my world, but this is unique. I was wondering if you have any positive experience with her.

Weiss:Not a single one. Here since of enjoyment in the displeasure of my children is a thing we disagree on. Though....her eyes, they do throw me off. For some reason, they don’t match her joy.

Blake:Maybe that part is still Summer. Eyes are the window to the soul and all that jazz.

Weiss:Maybe? I hope the kids are okay right now. I wonder what they’re up to?

xxxxx

Summer:WHAT’S UP VALE!!!!!!!!

A massive crowd screams “what’s up Summer”in excitement. Flashing lights and chanting fans’s voices make the sold out venue shake with their passion. Summer can only bask in it. There’s no better feeling than when she’s on stage. She looks to herself excitedly. This one was extra special. Nick comes out on stage with a base around him and a second microphone.

Nick:WE CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!!

The crowd chants louder. Summer responds by starting a rift on her guitar. She faces Nick with a smug look. Yes, having him on stage is always a joy, but that didn’t mean Summer wanted him hindering or stealing the show.

Summer:Well look who’s here!? Atlas’s favorite son! Think you’re ready to play with the kids up here. This isn’t your normal stage.

Nick smiled. He responded by playing the bass and letting the audience speak for him. Summer was chessing fool. Slowly she bopped up and down, urging him to do the same. It wasn’t long before they in sync. Drums, piano, and other background musicians began building up the tune as planned. The twins whipped around to face the crowd.

🎶Get down! We won't let you go!

This time, can you bring us down?

Back up! fly far through the sky

BLACK ROVER!

Let's go! All together now

And at last this world can't slow us down

For now, let's dye it all in black

BLACK ROVER!🎶

The two stood back to back...

🎶As more join and stand beside me,

The void doesn't feel so empty!!!!!

I know there is much more in store

Let's open that door -!🎶

Nick looked over his shoulder and saw Summer doing the same thing. This was gonna be one for the books. Jaune watched from backstage with one of the stagehands.

Stagehand:Should we tell them to save their energy? This charity event is six hours.

Jaune:Nah, let them have fun.

[writtenonreceipts]

If you have time! If you don’t no worries! 111. “You can’t just hug me and think everything’s okay.” For Rowaelin, Rowan cheats make it angst. Don’t beat yourself up about your writing! Thanks! 😍

Thanks for the prompt!  This was interesting to write, I deff pulled on my years of watching FRIENDS and Greys Anatomy for this, haha.

Also, no matter what happens, my friends in America, we can get through this.

 Warnings: Angst. 

#

“All I’m saying is that you’re not supporting me in this,” Aelin said.

She threw her purse down on the dining room table of the small apartment she shared with her best friend, Lysandra.  It was a tiny place, but it was cheap and neither girl made much money.  But they loved it.  Aelin had spent all her spare time fixing the place up and shopping clearance racks at the home furniture and renovation stores to make their home more inviting.

“I do support you,” Rowan said.  Again.  

It felt like it was all he ever said these days though Aelin could never see the fruits of his words.

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.  “Then what's the problem with me going on this trip for work?  Is it because Sam will be there? And Chaol?  Do you not trust me?”

Rowan froze on his trip to the fridge.  He turned around to look at her, his green eyes digging into her. “What?  Fireheart, of course I trust you.”

“Then what’s the problem, Rowan?” Aelin asked.  “This trip could mean so much for me.”

“We barely had any time together this whole month,” Rowan said.  He looked as though he wanted to say more but he bit the words off, turning back to the fridge.

“You knew this would happen when I accepted this job,” Aelin insisted  for what felt like the millionth time this past month. “We both did.”

Rowan grunted and grabbed a beer from the fridge.  He popped the top off without second thought and took a long sip.

Aelin waited in silence until he was done.  Until almost half the bottle was drowned.  She waited, hands on her hips where her stupid pantyhose were digging into her gut and the waist band of her skirt didn’t help any.  She looked gorgeous today and the only person who had complimented her had been Sam.  If Aelin really wanted to, if she really wanted to piss Rowan off she would tell him.  Let him know that another man was checking her out.

Because for as much as Aelin loved Rowan, lately she’d felt like they’d barely been treading water in their tumultuous relationship.  She felt like they were adrift in a seat of rapids and maelstroms.  For as much as Aelin loved Rowan, she felt like their relationship these days was slowly drowning her.

“So what you’re saying is that our relationship is alright to sacrifice for the sake of your career?” Rowan asked.  

The words were cold and hard.  They struck Aelin and latched onto her heart tugging sharply.

“Excuse me?” she asked.  The words were barely more than a whisper.  She couldn’t seem to bring herself to speak any louder.  It took all her energy to even be able to scrap those two together.

“You care more about this job than us,” Rowan repeated, not backing down from his previous statement.

Aelin dragged her hand over her face.  So many different things were working through her body.  Anger among them, but never before had she felt such a strong desire cry.  Her chest tightened with each passing second.

“How dare you,” she finally said.  She tore off her coat and flung it down beside her purse.  “How dare you say that.  I’m doing something I care about Rowan.  I am trying.  I am trying to be better than I have been before, to be better than the spoiled rich girl that would never amount to anything than daddy’s fortune.  I found a job I love, one that can help us, help me, get a little further than this place.”

She gestured around the apartment with all the decorations she had managed to scrape together and the small collage she’d made of pictures of them.  There were the mismatched chairs for the dining room table they’d found at a garage sale, a lamp that seemed to be paying homage to the garden gnomes, and even the rug that took weeks to get the stink of cat out of it.  It was all there's.  What they had tried to make together.

“I get that,” Rowan said carefully, though she noticed how white his grip had become on the bottle of his beer. “You know I do and I am proud of you for that, but we hardly see each other anymore.  I’m tired of our relationship being texts and missed calls.”

Aelin shook her head and paced the kitchen. “I can’t keep having this same argument, Rowan.  It’s going to drive me insane.”

“I’m trying to offer solutions.”

“No, you're offering me ultimatums.”

They stilled.  Noise from the streets below filtered into the apartment.  A police care zipped passed and the lights of the siren reflected through the windows in the living room.

“I need a break,” Rowan said.  He downed the rest of his beer and grabbed his keys from the table.  “I can’t do this right now.”

“Rowan,” Aelin said as he stalked past her, he didn’t look at her, “Rowan Whitethorn.”

The door slammed behind him.

#

When Rowan entered the bar, he slumped down on the first open stool he found.  He didn’t remember ordering but found a whiskey passed his way.  And another.  And another.  

Too often lately did he find himself in this bar.  It was one that his friends rarely came to.  One that Aelin never visited.  It was dimly lit with a few tables scattered about.  No dance floor.  Occasionally there was an open mic night for wash-up bands or slam poetry.  It was a place one could easily go unnoticed in.

Someone slid into the stool next to him, but he didn’t look up.

“Another round, Cain,” a soft, musical voice said.

Rowan looked up as another whiskey found its way into his hands.  The woman seated beside him had rich brown hair pulled into a messy ponytail.  Loose strands framed her round face and brought out her chestnut eyes.

“You look like you could use a distraction,” she said.  A knowing smile flitted across her mouth as she leaned into him, one hand brushing up his thigh. “I’m Lyria.”

#

It was seven in the morning when Aelin found herself outside Rowan’s apartment.  She’d texted him twenty minutes ago saying she wanted to stop by before work.  Even though she knew it would only result in another frustrating argument--she wanted to try.  She needed to try to make things better with Rowan.

He buzzed her up just as the front doors to the building ratted open and a young woman stepped out.  She was pretty, Aelin noticed immediately.  Even with her disheveled hair and clothing that let everyone know what she’d been up to the night before.  But she smiled confidently at Aelin as she held the door open.

Aelin frowned, glancing at the woman's shirt, tucked into her black skirt.  It looked familiar, though Aelin couldn’t quite place it.  She shook the thought off as she got on the elevator, rehearsing what she would say to Rowan the entire way.

I love you.  I’m sorry.  We can make this work.  We can do better. We can make it through this.

She was almost ready to suggest therapy.  Because in all honesty, despite how hard things had been, she’d always imagined a life with Rowan.  A long life together.

The first words were on the tip of her tongue as she knocked on his door.  He opened it.  Not an ounce of sleep remained on his face.  Rather, he was alert.  Strange, he slept in as long as possible until his nine o’clock shift started just down the street.

“Hey,” she said, her speech forgotten.  She was just grateful to lay eyes on him after her texts went unread all last night.

“Hey.” His voice was soft, almost too soft, but he opened the door for her to come in.

The apartment was familiar and almost as much a home to her as her own place.  Not only because they were dating but because he lived with her cousin, Aedion.  But it seemed like Rowan was home alone.  Not surprising considering how Aedion was practically living with his girlfriend Lysandra.  

“I was worried about you,” she said, turning to face him as he shut the door.  “You didn’t reply to any of my messages.”

“I was drunk,” he said.

True enough, despite how awake he was, Aelin could see his bloodshot eyes and the rings under his eyes.  He looked like hell.

“I want to talk,” she said.  Her hair was in a messy side bun that allowed for loose tendrils to wave in her face.  Brushing them haphazardly aside she eyed Rowan as he stood bare chested before her, his gym shorts slung low around his hips.  A black shirt was balled in his fists.

His mouth worked silently as he stared at her, as he stared at her with broken eyes and...shame.  But it was not the sort of shame Aelin had expected.  Especially not when he dropped his gaze almost immediately from hers.

“I want to talk too,” he said, the grip that he had on the shirt tightened.

“I want to make this work, Ro,” Aelin told him before he could continue. “I know it’s been hard, but I love you.  I need this to work.”

It wasn’t the speech she had planned on, but the words were simple and got her point across.

“Aelin,” Rowan rasped, stepping away from her. He raised a hand to tug through his hair that had grown out in the past month.  It wasn’t quite as long as when they’d first gotten together, but it was distinctly longer that Aelin remembered it being for a while. 

Aelin waited for him to keep talking, but his voice trailed off slowly.  She tilted her head to the side, dread began boiling in her belly though she had no idea where it could be coming from.  This was Rowan after all.  Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“Rowan,” Aelin said slowly.  But now she was the one who couldn’t continue.  Not when there was a ling scent in the apartment.  Something like flowers.  Not when the couch was in disarray and the pillows strewn about.

“I made a mistake,” he said.

And then Aelin knew.  The girl she saw leaving the building wearing that familiar shirt.  It was only familiar because it was a shirt Aelin had bought for Rowan months ago.  She stumbled back a step as the truth came to her. No matter how badly she wanted to believe it wasn’t true she couldn’t convince herself otherwise.

“I was drunk, dammit I was so drunk,” he said.  His voice kept coming.  That voice that had brought her so much pleasure was now a screech to her ears. “Baby, I didn’t even realize what was happening before it happened.”

He wouldn’t shut up.

Aelin was aware of the rambling though none of it made sense.  Because her Rowan wouldn’t do this.  Her Rowan never could have done this.

She didn’t notice when he stepped forward, one hand extending towards her.  When his hand landed on her shoulder, she flinched away.

“Fireheart.”  He pulled his hand back, but kept moving closer until she could feel the heat rolling off his body.  Until she could practically smell that floral perfume on his body.

“No, don’t you dare.” snapped.  Pushing him away she glared up at him.  A mix of pleasure and misery worked through her when she saw the anguish on his face.  Her emotions quickly melted into nausea.  “Who was she?”

Rowan stared at her. “I don't--”

“Who the hell was she?”

Rowan swallowed stiffly. “Her name was Lyria.  She was at the bar with me last night.  Dammit Aelin, I never wanted this to happen.”

“Then why did you let it?” Aelin couldn’t help the way her voice broke, the way tears burned in her eyes.

She was too busy trying to keep herself in one piece that she didn’t step away when Rowan moved for her again.  His arms came around her in a quick, warm embrace and his voice rumbled in her ears.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.  You have to believe me.”

“No.” Aelin said again.  Firmly pushing him away she spun around toward the door and dragged her fingers beneath her eyes. “You can’t just hug me and think that everything’s okay.”

“Aelin,” Rowan tried speaking again, but Aelin was already ripping his door open.

She stared at him as tears leaked down her cheeks. “You were the one person I never thought would hurt me like this.”

“Aelin!”

She slammed the door behind her and ran for the stairs of the building.  There was no sound that he was coming after her, but Aelin wouldn’t take chances.  She ran down the stairs and for the door.  She didn’t stop running until her car was speeding down the highway and she was flinging out a hasty text that she wouldn’t be into work that day.

And as she drove Aelin found that she had no idea where she was going.  The city rushed by in hasty disarray and still she drove.  Faster and faster.  And she didn’t think she would ever come back.

#

tags:  @tottenhamboys20 @morganofthewildfire  @elinchocolatelover @more-espresso-less-depresso-xx

[jamielea81]

Back to School

Chapter 1

Pairing: Professor Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: Some cursing

Description: After taking years off of school, you finally decide to go back and finish up that degree.

Word Count: Approximately 1,800

A/N: Welcome to my new series Back to School! This is a professor AU with a twist. This series will be on the shorter side (no more than 10 chapters) and will be updated weekly. I’ve tagged those that have asked to be tagged before, if you would like to be removed just let me know. 

*Italics are internal thoughts.

Sticking out like a sore thumb wasn’t your idea of a good first day back to school. It was like high school all over again, but instead of wearing cheap clothes from the clearance rack while the other girls in school wore designer jeans, you wore business attire. Black pencil skirt, blouse, heels, makeup done up, that was your staple most days at the office. Students hanging around campus and in your first class were dressed in pajama pants, jeans, gym shorts and t-shirts. You were vastly over dressed, but it wasn’t your fault, you had to go back to work after your second class.

You had taken a few years off of school. Who were you kidding? You took 13 years off. It was always your intention to go back to college and finish up that degree, but life got in the way.

During senior year, you had gotten sick. It started out simple enough with pains in your stomach, but no amount of pain killers and rest could cure it. Once it was apparent you weren’t getting better, you made numerous trips to the health center on campus. They in turn referred you to the regional hospital that diagnosed you with an ovarian cyst. It was already quite large and your doctor recommended surgery as soon as possible. Two weeks later, you had the surgery to remove it. Because of the recovery time and the days you missed being ill, you had no choice but to take incompletes for all your classes that semester. Your job on campus was also terminated because you were no longer enrolled in classes.  

Life back at home with your parents wasn’t a breeze. After being away for nearly four years, it was quite the adjustment living under their roof once again. They encouraged you to take classes at the nearby University which you did, but you struggled. Driving into the city was a pain and finding parking was even harder. You stuck with one of the two classes you enrolled in and managed to finish it leaving eight credits to go.

You found a job fairly quickly after a friend working in a call center gave you the heads up about an opening. It started as a fulltime position that summer, and you planned on going part time in the fall so that you could take a couple of classes to complete your degree. You ended up moving in with said friend at the end of summer. The money was rolling in as you turned out to be quite the sales woman. Deciding to take one more semester off to put some money in the bank, turned into a year off. Student loan bills started to arrive in your mailbox since you weren’t enrolled in classes. That one year turned into two. You moved out on your own. Took a new sales job with great benefits and a 401K. Two years turned into five. A job in middle management became available and you took it. Even though you were great at sales, you didn’t particular love it. Motivating others and knowing how to manage a team was more your forte. At that point you were doing quite well for yourself that school went on the back burner. Before you knew it, you were in your mid 30s worrying about a fifteen-page paper due at the end of the semester.

The campus is nice, as far as colleges go. It was also conveniently located thirty minutes from your home and office. Lush green lawns, loads of maple trees, benches and tables scattered along the wide walk ways. There’s a coffee shop in the student union, but you found a coffee cart located outside near a row of benches that faced a large water fountain in the center of the campus.

You acquired yourself a cup with two shots of vanilla. Grabbing a few capsules of cream and adding them to your cup, you planted yourself on an empty bench. You reached into your briefcase to grab out the syllabus from your first class, Economics in the Modern Age. There was no point in acquiring a backpack when you had only two classes and you had to get to work right after your second one. An hour between classes was more than enough time to look over your notes and get a cup of coffee.

“Can’t believe classes have started up again.” A deep voice in front of you said.

Looking up, the sun partially blinds your view. You put your hand up to shield the sun to get a better look at him.

“Sorry.” He says, moving about a foot to the right to block the brightness from your view.

And what a new view it was. Broad shoulders, dark blonde hair, nicely groomed beard, and those eyes. A poet could write several books about those eyes. He looked to be about your age, which was refreshing. Dressed in dark blue jeans, buttoned down checkered shirt and a brown sport coat over it. You were starring. Once you realized it, you looked down and quickly took a sip from your cup and nodded.

He stuck out his hand and you quickly set your cup down next to you on the bench. “Steve Rogers. History.”

“Ah, um, Y/N Y/L/N. Business administration.” You said, shaking his hand. His fingers fit nicely against yours. You really hoped he didn’t notice the blush.

“Do you mind?” He asked, gesturing toward the empty space beside you.

“Not at all.”

Be cool Y/L/N. Just because the hot guy wants to sit next to you, it does not mean he’s interested.

Going slow was never easy for you, which is why you were single. Your mind had a hard time differentiating between guys who were being friendly and guys who were interested. One would think with age and time, those kinds of problems would be sorted.

“Beautiful day.” You offered. Not really knowing what to say.

He hummed in response. “I’m looking forward to the cooler weather. I hate always feeling over dressed this time of year.”

You nodded. Giving him a small smile. “Same.” You said, gesturing to your long-sleeved blouse. At least you had opted to go bare legged. “It’s not so bad in the shade.”

This small talk is killing me.

Steve nodded his head. “How’s your schedule this semester?” He asked.

“Only two courses. Think I’ll manage.”

“Nice. I’ve got four, but two are twice a week.”

“Ouch. I’ve always hated those.” You replied.

He smiled. Eyes crinkly as he looked at you. “Why haven’t I seen you before?”

“I’m new here.” You said, shrugging one shoulder.

“Well, you can count me as your official welcoming party.”

You laughed. “I give you my thanks then.”

A small alarm sounded in your briefcase. Reaching in you pulled out your phone seeing you had twenty minutes until your next class. Not knowing where all the buildings were, you wanted to give yourself plenty of time to get there and hopefully find a seat in the back.

“I better get going.” You said, standing up and grabbing your bag. “It was nice to meet you Steve Rogers, History.”

He stood up as well, laughing hard, throwing his head back slightly. “You as well Y/N. I hope to see you around campus more.”

Your face flushed and you hoped he didn’t notice. “Hopefully.”

You quickly turned your back to him heading in any direction to get away from the handsome man. Not that you really wanted to run away, but you didn’t want to ruin something that hadn’t even started by saying something stupid.

After walking aimlessly for ten minutes, you consulted the campus map on your phone and started walking in the correct direction. You reached the History building with a few minutes to spare. The room wasn’t far down the hall and all rooms were numbered legibly. Finding the door was still open, you felt relieved. The room was a large lecture hall with stadium seating. Stepping inside you felt a small wave of panic as most seats were occupied with only a few open ones in the front rows and a couple single seats scattered in the middle.

Next week I am so getting here a half hour earlier.

You begrudgingly walked down the staircase, dodging careless backpacks left in your path. Sure, you wore heels daily to the office, but that was mainly at your desk or in a conference room, not down a large staircase with legs stretched out, ready to catch a victim not paying attention.

As you made your way down the steps to the mostly open first row, you couldn’t help but notice eyes on you. Instantly you felt self-conscious, thinking perhaps you had something on your face or coffee down your blouse. You took your seat and the eyes drifted away, back to their phones or conversations with the people they were sitting with.

They thought I was the teacher. That’s it, I’m changing at the office from now on.

You dug out a notebook and pen. Blue ink, not black of course. We all have our habits. You scribbled “History Beyond the Walls” on the front cover of the notebook. You picked the course randomly as you only needed a 200 level history class to complete the requirement for your degree.

The door in the back closed with a loud bang. A muttered sorry was heard and you, much like everyone else, turned around to see what caused the disturbance.

Whoa. Steve’s in this class.

You silently prayed that he’d take the seat next to you. Just for the camaraderie of adults going back to school, nothing more. Right? You continued to watch him descend the staircase hoping he’d see you. You subtly move your eyes to his left hand to check for a ring since you didn’t do so earlier. It’s naked which makes you smile. I suppose he could have a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend.  

Shaking your head slightly to get out of your own mind, you go back to the intense eye contact that pays off as Steve sees you. His face is a mix of surprise and confusion. A small smile graces his face but it quickly fades. His eyes crinkle and small lines appear on his forehead. Head tilting to the side you hear a muttered “Y/N?” You give him a slight wave as he walks completely past you, setting his bag on the desk at the front of the classroom. Now it’s your turn to be confused.

Steve turns around and looks at you briefly before scanning the rest of the room.

“I’m Professor Rogers. Welcome to History Beyond the Walls.”

Well, shit.

Tagging: @thefanficfaerie @humandasaster @violetadefebrero @estillion14 @xxloki81xx @lookwhatyoumademequeue @thefandomzoneisdangerous @tanelle83 @symonlyjen5 @niaese @lilypalmer1987 @unlcvings @linkingdolans @imissyoualittlemoreeveryday @allaboutthebooz @joannie95 @chita0027

[teaforten]

Rabbit and the Monkey Cups - (Part 1/2)

Did you need AIW fanfic? Here is AIW fanfic.

I haven’t written in a long time for this show, but it was Rachel’s birthday and I decided to turn a little thing into a big thing. But didn’t finish it, so this is part one of two. 

Here’s a preview, and the rest is under cut. Tumblr wanted to put a bunch of spaces in between every paragraph and frankly I don’t have the energy to take them all out, so sorry about that. 

Preview:

Wondermart was having a huge clearance sale on Halloween stuff, so Hatter and Hare were promptly there on a crisp November afternoon, to hit two birds with one stone. You see, Rabbit’s birthday was at the end of the week. How did they know? Alice had just told them. She was tagging along right behind them, actually, mentioning it in a timid fashion, because she herself was unsure what to get the bunny, or any bunny really, let alone one of his age.

“Ahhh, there’s got to be something here,” Hatter said to the other two confidently.  

“You think he might want a new cape?” Hare wondered, patting at some leftover Dracula capes at the end of a costume rack.

“It’s possible. How about a skull? You think he needs one of these?” By now, Alice was squinting as Hatter plucked up a funky glow-in-the-dark skull from a shelf of cheap yard decorations.

“No, let’s get him this candy bowl,” Hare suggested, though just as he indicated it, the plastic skeleton’s hands guarding its mouth closed around his hand and gave him a serious jolt.

“You guys...” Alice started.

“I want that for myself,” Hatter told Hare.

“Hell if you’re keeping that in your kitchen!”

“It’ll be great for my cookies!” Hatter insisted, with a scowl. “Lord knows you’re not keeping me away from them!”

“You GUYS.”

“Huh?” They both turned to her obliviously, holding each side of the bowl as the skeleton hands slapped open and closed.

“I don’t think Rabbit wants leftover Halloween stuff for his birthday,” she tried to tell them, in what was the most neutral voice she could manage.

“Are you sure?” Hatter wondered. She just rolled her eyes.

“Why don’t we try, uh, some plants at the nursery, or, or a sleep mask? Some fuzzy slippers?”

Her two companions looked to each other and shrugged like she might have a point.

So off to the Wonderland nursery they went, where Alice was plucking up pots of pansies and tulips and flashing them at Hatter and Hare, who seemed not at all impressed. “I mean they’re fine if you just want something to take up space in your window sill,” Hare told her with his eyes half closed. Alice was silent, as she really didn’t see a problem with this. “Alice. Alice Alice Alice~~” Hare drawled, looking around the nursery like he was embarrassed to have to explain this to her. “When my Grandpa December was around the Rabbit’s age, he was going through his very last existential crisis, and the last thing he needed was to fill up his window sills.”

Hatter nodded emphatically. “Mhm. Mhm. That’s a mid-life crisis kind of present.”

“What we need to get the Rabbit is something that reminds him that he’s in control of his life again.”

“Right! Something that says twilight can be just as exciting as any sunrise,” Hatter chipped in, swooping his hand into the air.

“I don’t know where you’re going with this,” Alice told them.

“Well obviously--” Hatter started... then he turned to Hare, looking for some help. “Where are we going with this?”

Hare was all shifty-eyed by now. “Come. Come, my children,” he said.

In no time, they were being led to the “restricted” section of the nursery… a shady little greenhouse shack thingy-mabob… covered with vines and thorns. And the woman helping customers there looked awfully witchy. Her wiry salt and pepper hair was stacked onto her head in a bun, almost all of her fingers had a ring, and she was walking around with a hunch. It gave Alice the creeps. Hatter, too. He was trying to hide behind her, actually, and it wasn’t working out very well.

“Do you have a membership card?” She asked Hare, also looking very shifty-eyed. Hare took out his wallet and flashed the goods. Then she jerked up her chin like a bouncer who had recognized one of their own, as if to say “a’iiiight, ya’ll’s cool to go in”...

In a very interesting turn of events, it was Hatter clutching Hare’s arm and nibbling his knuckles, and Alice trailing behind them, using his coat-tails as some kind of safety leash.

“Poisonous… carnivorous…” Alice read the signs hesitantly as they passed them.

“Cadaverous… smelly?!” Hatter screeched.

“Oh, the smelliest!” Hare flapped his hands and kept walking.

“I don’t think the Rabbit is going to want a smelly plant, Mr. Hare. After all, he’ll have to keep it at the palace, and if the Queen doesn’t like it…” Alice started.

“Well then I know! We’ll get him a guard plant!” Hare concluded. Hatter seemed both extremely terrified and extremely excited about seeing which selections of guard plant this place had.

“There are plants that can guard palaces?” Alice wondered incredulously.

“Shhh, everyone be quiet,” Hare told them. They weren’t far from an enclosure where a deep crimson light was shining on a beastly looking growth in the corner of the greenhouse. At its base was an array of spikey pads clustering around even spikier shoots and bulbs -- all more or less foaming at the mouths, or whatever it had.

“What? It can’t hear us--” Alice tried to say before Hatter’s hand fell over her mouth.

“You don’t know that,” he stage-whispered without looking at her. She almost had the nerve to bite him. Evidently, Hare had immediately forgotten to show any caution once he realized what was in the enclosure because he was bursting at the seams and hopping in place like a cheerleader without pom-poms.

“Oh, WOW. They said they were going to order it in, but I HONESTLY DIDN’T BELIEVE THEM. Look you guys, it’s a GIANT CATAPULTING FLYPAPER TRAP! And no wonder they’ve got these bars: someone could fall right into that thing and they’d be a GONER,” Hare told them, tenting his fingers and grinning from ear to ear, with every possible dimple in his face showing.

“Geez, Mr. Hare. I never realized you were so, well, morbid.” Hare looked mildly surprised for a second, then just shrugged.

“Anyway, Rabbit could never handle something like this. And look at the price. Oof!” They watched Hare take out a neon green notepad from his pocket and scribble down a note. “Reminder to myself to break open the ole piggy bank when I get home. I just might have enough!”

It was Hatter’s turn to lay down the line:

“Hell if you’re keeping that in your garden!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t put it in my garden. I’d put it in my dungeon,” Hare told him matter-of-factly.

“Ohhhhh. Well in that case… just remember to show it who’s boss.” A whole lotta eyebrow wiggling and elbow jabbing took place before Alice could no longer sit with this image. She pointed at the first thing she saw.

“Uhh, what about this? This looks exciting enough. What is it?” She asked Hare, who was even blushing by now. He cleared his throat.

“Oh, those are… I think I remember… oh yes! Monkey cups!”

“Monkey cups? That doesn’t sound too scary.”

Hatter and Hare shrugged. Their minds had clearly moved on to other things. “Nahhhh, guess not! It’d probably be perfect for Rabbit - he can feed it bugs and stuff when he’s having a bad day. Hahahahhaha!” Alice frowned just as soon as he winked at her. “What? We all know he has a sadistic side.”

@ @ @

As cool as the plant was, Alice wasn’t particularly sold on the idea that Rabbit would be satisfied with just that kind of gift on his birthday, so she begged and pleaded for them to come with her to hit the nearest convenience store. They were being absolute drama kings about it as if they were in some kind of black and white purgatory hell as she perused the greeting card section for just the right one.

“Come on, Alice. How is this watercolor pastel painting of flowers any different from the other ten that you looked at?” Hatter wondered with his eyes rolled back into his head and his giant purple body slumped up against one of the flimsy card racks. A clerk nearby could now see how precarious this situation looked and was watching them carefully.

“And they all say happy birthday!” Hare chimed in as he wandered up to Alice’s side. As he did so, she noticed that he was holding the pot of monkey cups off to one side of his chest, almost as if he had been breastfeeding them or something. He also randomly had a hiccup blanket over his shoulder. She scrunched up her face for a second before she had a response prepared.

“Yes, but they just don’t have that… oomf!” Alice told them, making sort of a “glitter exploding” gesture with her hand.

The both of them repeated the word several times to each other, also imitating the gesture.

“You know. A certain... je ne sais quoi?” She emphasized, even getting on her tippy toes. Hatter tilted his head and mimed the phrase in confusion while Hare tried to pronounce it. He even handed Hatter the plant so he could sort of pop his booty out and tip his toe, while still butchering the phrase spectacularly. Alice smiled and rolled her eyes. “It’s French. I learned it from my penpal, Yvette. It means. Well, it means that you don’t know what it means. But it’s something special.”

Hatter frowned.

“Alice, do you even know why we’re here?” He asked.

“Because we’ve been trying to figure it out for the past eternity.”

“We’ve been here for five or ten minutes tops. And yes, I know why I’m-- DUM!” She hopped when she saw a familiar face pass the glass from the outside. The Tweedles were on their way to the front doors. Hatter and Hare cranked their necks as the bell on the door jingled, while Alice went to greet the twins without a moment’s hesitation, as if they were rescuing her. It would seem they might have also been whispering their hellos and other exchanges, which was just plain rude, in Hatter’s opinion, based on the way he squished up his lips. He looked Hare in the eye and nothing further needed to be said.

Just as the Tweedles were heading back with Alice to the card section, they passed Hatter and Hare, who were on their way to the door. “Oh hey, you two!” Dee greeted, followed by some timid waving by Dum. “Hey guys, uh, we’re just gonna be going,” Hare told them, jutting his thumb out with a crooked smile. “It’s these poor little guys’ nap time.”

“Uhh yeah, and we’d hate to be a 4th and 5th wheel,” Hatter muttered, sort of coddling the monkey cups and shielding them from the Tweedles’ view. Hare was equally concerned about this and hovered around him, trying to put the hiccup blanket, which had a soft little cartoon cactus print, around Hatter’s arm and over the plant, going “sh sh sh…”

Dee cocked his brow and didn’t say a thing until they were gone.

Then, once they were:

“Why are they going around babying a patch of bright green dangling plant dicks?” Just as soon as he said it, Dum was seized by cackles… and more or less so was Alice. But hearing“Mr. Dee” talk like that was highly unusual.

She wanted to speak but couldn’t stop laughing and started sinking into herself. Dum had to pull her up before she hit the floor. “What?! What is it, Alice?! XD” He kept asking her.

“They’re not plant weeners!” She peeped into his ear, still trying to properly breathe again. “They’re m-monkey cups! They’re for the Rabbit! For his birthday!”

This started a whole new round of reeling between the Tweedles, which garnered the attention of the store clerk, who still wasn’t happy about Hatter leaning on all the card racks.

“Excuse me… do you three plan on buying anything?” He asked. He was old, uptight, and easy to dismiss.

“Oh yeah, sure,” Dee told him, swishing his hands before he let them fall on Dum and Alice’s shoulders. On their way to the cards, Alice tried to explain the meandering logic that had led her and her eccentric companions to and from the nursery today, with such an odd purchase.

“Well just make sure the Hare keeps the receipt, is all I’ve got to say!” Dum told her, earning a high-five from Dee.

“You guys wanna help me find something else?” She wondered, quite relieved just to be hearing sensible sentiments again. Dee thought about if he had any plans for the day.

“I’m game.”

“Yeah, so am I,” Dum said.

“A’ight. Let’s find something with some real je ne sais quoi around here and then hit that sleep store across from Just Add Sugar!” Dee turned up his nose with a smug smile like he knew exactly what he was doing. And he probably did.

@ @ @

It was five-thirty in the afternoon and Hatter and Hare were tipped back in their chairs with their bellies full of crumpets, cookies, and jam. And tea, of course. Lots and lots of tea. Beside the Hare was one of those bouncy baby seats that he periodically tipped with his foot. And inside of the baby seat was the pot of monkey cups, wrapped up in the cactus blanket. Several crumpet crumbs were surrounding it. “Do you think it liked the crumpets?” Hatter was busy scraping food out of his teeth and was probably in a food coma when he answered:

“I mean, it ate them, didn’t it?”

“I think so.”

Just then, they saw the Tweedles and Alice frolicking by, flailing shopping bags and sipping slurpees. It was an immediate outrage. Then they slam-dumped the empty cups into Hatter’s trash-can outside the gate. “Oh hi, Hatter and Hare!” Dum shrieked cheerily in a blur.

“Bye, Hatter and Hare!” Dee shouted, just as they were opening their mouths. Alice apparently didn’t even notice where they were or whose house they were passing. It just looked like she had been having the time of her life, or something.

“You know, sometimes, Hare… I don’t know about that girl.”

@ @ @

The day of Rabbit’s birthday, Hare was simply a sobbing mess, and Hatter was having to do a lot of bedraggled consoling that frankly he was not prepared for, in order to make this visit to the palace even possible.

“Come on, Hare,” he told him, trying to pry the plant from his needy little fingers. It was not unlike trying to pry a fly from a venus fly trap. Except this fly trap was worried about the fly and was sure that keeping it in its mouth forever was the only way to keep it safe. Just as it popped free from Hare’s desperate clasp, his arms collapsed in his chest and his knees hit the ground as he wailed:

“We shouldn’t have bought them so early in the week! Now they think I’m their ma, and they’ll miss me terribly!”

Hatter frowned, then realized that he was sort of petting one of them. “Hey, what about me?”

Hare shrugged as a tear pooled in his eye. “They’ll sort of miss you too.” Hatter turned to the fourth wall and just stared. “But every plant needs their ma!”

“Then the Rabbit can be their godmother! Their fairy-godmother! Ahhh? He’ll let you visit, I’m sure.” Hatter’s proposal wasn’t all that bad. Still, Hare was caught up in a moment and could only sniffle, so his partner gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder and walked past him. “Now, I’m gonna take these guys out for one last walk, and then we’ll head to the palace. Take a hit off the hookah, if you need.”

@ @ @

The palace courtyard was unusually quiet that day. Hatter and Hare were thinking there’d either be some sort of bash already started, or they’d have to get into an argument with the Queen about letting Rabbit have free time on his birthday. Instead, they found him kicked up on the chaise lounge, being fanned with a giant banana leaf by Alice. Totally oblivious to their presence, as he was wearing a thick cushy sleep mask and slurping up a tropical smoothie with an umbrella, Rabbit had more or less slipped into nirvana, or as close to it as an old servant would ever get. On the nearest table was a catalogue for the sleep store Alice had visited with the Tweedles, there were brand new, fuzzy wuzzy bunny slippers on the floor next to him, and even a gift basket filled with soaps, bath salts, and the most basic bitch teas Hatter had ever seen. Not that he would say anything.

But he had to say something, because poor ole Hare was still waiting for his hit off the hookah to kick in and had red eyes that could be seen from a mile away. He even forgot to stand and face their friends. Hatter grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him in the right direction.

“Rabbbitttttt!” He shouted at the bunny.

“Mmmmmmm...yyyyyesss???” Hold up a moment. The peaceful smile on the Rabbit’s face slowly fell as he realized he had heard the voice of someone he was sure in the past had never helped him achieve any sort of serenity. He snatched off the sleep mask. “Oh, hello... Hatter. Hare.” He was sort of leaning back and away from them now. Luckily, he couldn’t see that Alice was behind him, trying to hold it together.

“A little birdie told us it was your birthday today!”

“A little birdie?” Rabbit scrunched up his face, confused.

“He means me,” Alice said sweetly over his shoulder.

“Oh, but you’aaa~ not a bird!”

“Yeah, but she overhears all kinds of things, like a bird on a tree-branch!” Hatter explained, to which Alice nodded, “and that was the only way we were going to know it was your birthday, you secretive, sly, s-selectively friendly…s-senior citizen--”

“You had better get on with whatever you came here for, Hatta~...” Rabbit muttered, just as Hatter felt a tickle in his throat.

“Ahem! Yes.” He turned to Hare, who had been trying to blot a tear with the cactus blanket without anyone noticing. “Uh, Hare, why don’t you take the blanket off and show Rabbit this wondeeerfulll, spectaccuullar giftttt, ahhhh?” Hatter tried his best to sprinkle all the razzle-dazzle of two people onto the reveal, but no matter of twisting and twirling elicited much of a reaction out of Rabbit once he saw under the blanket. And he only had one thing to say.

“My, those are awfully phallic, aren’t they…”

Alice just bit her lip.

“What’s ‘phallic’?” Hatter questioned, not yet sure if he should feel validated or offended. Alice shrugged, as she didn’t know either. Rabbit immediately regretted that it had ever fallen from his mouth.

“Uhhh… Well what are they, anyway?” He diverted.

The Tweedles, meanwhile, had been oo’ing and ah’ing at all the boring af statues the Queen put up in one of her hallways, like really putting on an oscar worthy performance out of the sincerest desire for Rabbit to have some alone time with his gifts in that chair. When they were back to the courtyard with her majesty, however, they were having a really hard time keeping a straight face while a clueless Hatter and an unreasonably forlorn Hare waved around the bright green plant dicks monkey cups and pitched them like they were going to be Rabbit’s newest obsession.

All they had to do was step into Alice’s vicinity and make eye-contact with her and she was already giggling.

“So you see, Rabbit, this isn’t just some midlife-crisis window-sill filler… set these up at your table on bingo nights and you’ll have all the bunny ladies crowding around, knowing you’re up to something.”

“And what exactly am I up to?” Rabbit cocked his eyebrow, quite distracted by their striking resemblance to, well, cocks.

“Bein’ a plant daddy,” Hatter told him, smiling and nodding like he was very sure of himself, “to a hardcore plant that’ll eat all the bugs in your garden. Even frogs, too!”

“Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!” Was Rabbit’s first reaction. Then he leaned forward and tapped one of the cups before the Queen belted from behind him.

“That’s BARBARIC.” Immediately, Rabbit fell right on his face on the floor beside the lounge, then had to prop himself up and heave a little when he realized she had been so close to him all along. “Why would you get Rabbit a gift like that!”

Hare had recoiled just as much as Hatter, but he looked more defeated than anything else that neither of them were impressed with his gift, especially now that they were his babies that he’d raised for a week. Once again, Hatter had to do the explaining, patting Hare’s hand, which was squeezing his arm, all the while.

“We thought he needed some excitement!”

“He has PLENTY of excitement around here!”

Rabbit darted his eyes around. He wasn’t about to disagree with her, because technically she was right, it’s just… it wasn’t the good kind of excitement. The Tweedles and Alice were feeling even surer about their gifts by now.

“Well then really, this plant can keep up with him, is all we’re saying,” Hatter told her, not even missing a beat. “Oh look, it already likes him!”

For the first time in the last five minutes, Hare had something to say: “It does?”

Hatter gave him a look. “Uhhh, of course it does, Hare. Hand it over. Wouldn’t want to keep these two parted.” Try as he may to sort of direct the pot towards the birthday bunny himself, Hare was sort of squeezing it close and didn’t know how to let go. Rabbit, meanwhile, looked completely flabbergasted as he sat there on the floor beneath those looming plant dongs. The Queen threw up her hands, which just elicited more of the Tweedles’ giggling.

“You have GOT to be kidding me!”

��Uhh, they mean well, Your Majesty!” Alice tried to step in, being the noble child among the group and all that. “I mean if you think about it… it’s just as silly as any other gift they’ve given him…”

“Hmph, you’re right… there’s no way this is a joke,” her Majesty answered back in a deep voice, with her chin tucked into her neck. Then all five of them just kept watching Hatter and Hare fuss over the pot.

“Hare, just let go! One finger at a time. Come on, now.”

“I’m trying!” Hare pouted.

“I highly doubt that!”

“You don’t know what it’s like to be a mother!”

“No, but I know what it’s like to live with one!”

“DON’T shame me for being an empath!” Hare growled through his tears, still with the cactus blanket thrown over his shoulder.

“Alright you two, listen!” Rabbit professed, just before he scurried to his feet and yanked at his vest, then patted a few fuzzballs away. “I’ll keep the plant for a few days and see how it goes, but I want He’a~ on call at all times! He obviously has a grrreener thumb than I~, but I appreciate your thinking of me on my birthdehh~, so I shall try my best. Ehh… provided her Majesty approves.”

They all slowly turned to her in suspense, looking somewhere on a spectrum between apprehensive and hopeful. And then there were the Tweedles, who were just about to whip out their popcorn bowls. The Queen squinted at them for a moment before she decided it was not her circus, not her monkeys. Well, hopefully.

“Fine. But I don’t want to hear a thing about it. Call the Hare if it gives you any trouble, and if he can’t help you, hohohhhh,” her eyes bulged as she cut her hands into the air, “it’s straight back to the nursery.”

“Of course, of course. Ehh… thank you.” Rabbit nodded to the Queen awkwardly before he turned to Hare and opened his hands to receive the plant. Hare just stared at him until Hatter leaned into him.

“Give Rabbit the plant, Hare.”

“Eheheheh! Right,” he said, his arms extending out with a tremble to relinquish his babies to his favorite frenemy. Rabbit took hold of the pot and tried not to cringe as the dongs sweeping over the side brushed his forearm. Try as he may to bring them closer to his chest, Hare came with them. He laughed and gave them a better tug, which prompted Hare to tug them back. Before everyone knew it they were bouncing back and forth. Finally, Hatter took Hare’s shoulders and held him in place, so that Rabbit could pluck the monkey cups out of his motherly smother, and inspect them with none of the same sort of affection.

“Eheheh, loveleh~ loveleh~~...” he trailed. “Well, I’d better- eh, put these somewhere. T-thank you, everyone, for the birthday wishes and gifts… You’re all too kind.”

“OH WAIT, RABBIT,” Hare screeched, wriggling out of Hatter’s grasp and pulling a baby bag out of nowhere.

“This is all of his stuff!” When Rabbit took it from him, his arm plummeted as if he had just taken a bag of bowling balls.

“Gee, thanks, I feel so prepared now~” He said through his teeth to the fourth wall. Then  he fluttered his fingers and rolled away. Hare looked at least somewhat reassured as Hatter patted him on the back and he blew his nose.

Part 2 coming soon!...

[excindrela]

Summoned (18+)

Supernatural AU

Pairing: demon! Ayno (Noh YoonHo) VAV / Female reader

Genre: Fluff/ a touch of Angst/ and graphic SMUT

Warnings: occult, oral (female receiving), **graphic sex**

Word Count: 3253

AN: Ok. This is only the 2nd thing I have ever posted, and my 1st attempt at smut (sorry if I offend or horrify anyone). Feedback is always appreciated (please be kind).  FYI: “a-spot” is not a typo. Google it. ;)

Happy Halloween!!

AN2: Ayno returned for Thanksgiving, and by request (thank you lovlies) he has become a series! Christmas is here:  12 Days: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9

It turned out to be the Halloween where things actually did go bump in the night. The truth of which no one would believe if you decided to tell it.

On-the-fly parties were Misha’s specialty, so there you all were, former college roommates with crazy lives & jobs, on the Friday night before Halloween sitting on Misha’s floor in make-shift costumes with random Asian take-out being washed down with cheap rice wine and sake. You played with the Ouija board, read each other’s tarot cards and thumbed through the Urban Witch’s Guide to Practical Spells (bought on clearance at Barnes & Noble for $5.27).

Come to think of it now, the whole thing was Jia’s fault. She was the one who picked up the spell book and started reading from it.  “Oooo! Oooo! This one is for you!!” , she said punching you in the shoulder. Having gotten your attention, she read aloud, “Are you lonely? Sexually frustrated? Summon a demon specifically to satisfy you and take care of your needs.” “I am not sexually frustrated!” you protested. Misha snorted. “…And when was the last time you got laid, Princess Workaholic? Do I not remember you describing your last boyfriend as a ‘lazy pencil dick’?” “I thought it was ‘rice dick’?”, Jia countered. You sighed, “Ok, yes. My last boyfriend was a lazy un-endowed slob who thought only of himself, and it would have taken an act of Congress for him to go down on me. …but 8 months isn’t that much of a dry spell…” Jia shook her head. “Yeah no. You need this.” She said with a laugh. She tore off a piece of napkin and made you write your name on it, then she reached over and yanked 3 hairs out of your head. She grabbed a black candle with a pentagram on it, held it up and read “I seek the realm beyond! I call upon those who can make manifest the desires of mind, flesh, and heart to cross the veil and grant fulfillment!” as she burned your written name and hairs in the candle. You threw a popcorn ball at her head.

The Uber dropped you off at home sometime just before midnight. You dropped your bag on the floor, locked the door and wandered into the bedroom of your converted warehouse apartment. You had just thrown on an old t-shirt and a pair of boxers when you saw a strange blue light coming from the living room. Upon closer inspection, you discovered it was coming from the large antique floor mirror you bought at an estate sale last year. The whole glass was lit up as though surrounded in neon. Slowly a shadow appeared in the center that as it grew larger took on the shape of a person. You stood, transfixed, as a man stepped through your mirror as though it was any other doorway.

He had to be close to six feet tall. Black pointed toe boots with studded bands led to black leather pants with a similarly studded belt, his shirt was a soft button up in white with a red floral pattern, hidden mostly under a burgundy leather motorcycle jacket.  He had a face like Lucifer fallen: high cheekbones, full pouty lips with a ring through the bottom one and a distinct cupid’s bow on top, and almost black hair covered in a layer of teal. He was a sinful nightmare, straight from your dreams.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” you asked with a slight tremble in your voice.

He eyed you up and down. “I am Ayno. I am a lesser demon of manifestation and desire. You summoned me. I was called upon to service you mistress.”

You stared at him in shock. This was not really happening. “What? No…no…no…that wasn’t me. That was Jia. Jia summoned you. I think you have the wrong mirror.”

He smiled as he approached you and gently tucked your hair behind your ear, bringing his long fingers down to your jaw line to raise your chin and get a better look at you. His thumb brushed across your lips as he chewed on his lower one, using his tongue to play with the ring in it. You felt your underwear growing damp just looking at him. “Mmmm…I don’t think so. But let’s check, shall we?”

He turned on his heel and strode back to the mirror he had stepped out of. The neon glow had disappeared and it looked normal again. He knocked on it in a strange rhythm and then placed his hand in the center of the glass. Nothing happened. He was satisfied. “No. The portal is closed. I am definitely here to see to your…needs.” He turned back to his reflection, studying it for a moment. “My hair is blue? Green?” He peered closer. “Exactly what color are my eyes? Am I Asian? ” he questioned. You shrugged, “Maybe? Do you not know? Isn’t this what you usually look like?”  He shook his head “I look however you desire me to.”

“So mistress…how can I serve you? Which of your desires would you like me to fulfill?” he said as he casually tossed his jacket on the couch and began advancing on you.

You started backing up. “Oh no no…I don’t need anything…I don’t think I have any desires…” you said as you maneuvered around the couch, trying to put distance between yourself and the supermodel from hell.

“None? You’re putting off an awful lot of pheromones for someone with no desires.” he chided. You scooted backwards between the counter and the island in the kitchen. He followed you, unbuttoning his shirt and discarding it on a barstool. “Your heart is pounding…see something you like?” he asked. You moved around the dining table, pulling out the chairs and leaving them as obstacles.

Ayno just kept walking toward you at a languid pace. You continued backing up wondering how to stop his advance. Unfortunately, you didn’t pay attention to where you were going and you backed yourself right into the bedroom. Now you were trapped with nowhere to go. This seemed to please Ayno who leaned in the doorway smirking as you looked around in panic for an escape.

“Oh, please. Don’t kill me.” You whispered breathlessly. He smiled and gave a small chuckle. “Aww- don’t worry baby, I’m not going to kill you. …I’m not even going to hurt you…but I am going to make you scream.”

He held up his right index finger and twirled it in a circle before flicking it in your direction. Like some otherworldly cowboy, a rope of red light shot from his finger, lassoed your wrists and dragged you backward onto the bed – arms above your head, your wrists now bound together by energy and secured tightly to nothing. You tried yanking your arms down, but they wouldn’t budge. “You know, the more you pull on that, the tighter it gets.” Ayno cautioned. He glanced down at the university t-shirt you were wearing. “You won’t be needing that” he said as the shirt was whisked from your body by nothing more than a wiggle of his fingers and a wave of his hand. “You won’t be needing those either” he said looking at your boxers. He made a ‘come here’ motion with his hand and your boxers and panties slid down your legs and flew straight to his hand. He put your soaked panties to his nose, closing his eyes and inhaling slowly before dropping them to the ground.

He held up two fingers like a Boy Scout and then pointed them towards you and split them apart as he did so your legs shot open to opposite sides of the mattress unable to close them of your own free will. His eyes never leaving yours he advanced on you like a predator to their prey. You felt the foot of the bed dip is he climbed on it and crawled towards you.

“I’ll bet you taste delicious.” He purred, glancing down to eye your dripping sex fully on display for him. “Oh oh no! Please!! Oh please no!” you begged knowing what he was about to do, but the demon only laughed.

With a speed that no human could match, he dove between your spread legs and dropped his head to lick a thick fat stripe up your slit. He took excruciatingly long laps, his tongue stretching out and dipping into your hole at the bottom and flicking across your clit at the top. You moaned and writhed, trying to escape him as he guided the tip of his tongue up and down between your folds. Finally he grabbed your hipbones and held you still as he placed his whole mouth to your core, sucking at the juices you couldn’t stop flowing. Without letting up, he slowly inserted his middle finger to your waiting heat, moving it in and out in gentle even thrusts causing tiny currents of electricity to slide along your slick inner walls. You made soft gasping noises that slowly morphed into “more” as your hips bucked upward to meet the thrust of his hand. Ever obliging, Ayno added another finger and increased the pace. The friction caused you to whine softly as your hips twisted in pleasure, held fast in his firm grasp. You could feel yourself winding up, waiting to be pushed over the edge. “Oh please- please- make me cum” you begged. He raised his glowing red eyes to your sweat damped face, as he moved to take your clit between his lips and suck while he curved his fingers upward into your sensitive spot. You gasped and made incoherent sounds as everything behind your eyes went white and your whole body twitched as your orgasm washed over you.

At last he released your throbbing clit and raised his head, the lower half of his face covered in your slick. You felt yourself growing desperate as he continued working his fingers in and out of your soaked core. His breathing was heavy when he asked “You’re so wet…how do you want me to serve you?”

“Fuck me. Please Ayno…please I want to feel you inside me!” you begged like a shameless slut. You had no idea what had happened to the rest of his clothes, but his body was naked as he shifted on top of yours.

A moment later you felt the sweet painful stretch of his thick cock pushing achingly slow inside of you. He took his time pressing in, letting you feel every inch of him as he slid into you. “So tight” he hissed as he bottomed out. He bent forward gently trailing soft wet kisses down your neck as he gave you time to adjust to his size. Gradually, he felt your hips begin to twitch, knowing that you were ready for him to move. He slowly dragged his length out of you pushing back in with slightly more intensity; and with each stroke he increased the pace and added force.

“Does it feel good baby? You like the way I’m fucking you?” he asked as his hip bones crashed into your inner thighs again.

“Mmmmph…uhhh…yes…oh Jesus yes…more…” you choked out.

The demon gave a dark laugh and said “HE has nothing to do with this, I promise you.” as he lifted your legs up over his shoulders and began making quick sharp thrusts that slammed the head of his cock into your sweet spot with every thrust.

“Ayno...my hands… please…” He flicked his fingers at the headboard and you felt the bonds give way and your arms fall to your sides to grip the sheets. You could feel the edges of your vision darkening as all your muscles tightened and the butterflies began in your belly. Ayno reached forward and laced his fingers in yours. “C’mon baby, cum for me…you’re almost there…” he coaxed as he flexed his hips faster. You moaned loudly as the pleasure washed over you like a wave while fireworks exploded behind yours eyes, and you felt yourself clenching around him harder than you ever had. “Yes! Yes! Oh fuck yes!” you yelled loud enough that you were sure the entire building could hear you.

Ayno slowed his pace, and slid your legs off his shoulders until your knees were around his elbows, while he watched you pant and come down from your high. “I don’t think you’re satisfied yet. You want more baby?” “More??” you gasped. He smiled and nodded as he unhooked your knees and reached down with strong hands behind your back and pulled you up until you were sitting in his lap, his cock still buried to the hilt inside you. He began gently rolling his hips, the motion causing him to simultaneously apply rhythmic pressure to your clit and the tip of his cock to graze your a-spot. Your breath began coming in short staccato gasps. You threaded your fingers into his hair “Aren’t you close?” He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t you need to come?”

He gave a throaty laugh. “I can if you want me to, but it’s not necessary. Orgasm or not, I can do this any way you want, all night if you desire.” He said gazing up at you with burgundy eyes that sparkled like glitter and a smirk on his lips. You brought your mouth to his, suddenly prepared to give up whatever sleep you thought you were going to get.

***

You startled as you realized there was someone in the bed with you. Cautiously you rolled over to find your dream-nightmare leaning on one elbow watching you sleep with detached amusement. “Ayno? Oh god. That really happened.  Wh-what are you still doing here? Its’s daylight” Ayno rolled his eyes. “I’m a demon, not a vampire. Daylight is not a problem for me. ...and I can’t leave. You haven’t released me.” “Released you?” “Yeah- you summoned me. I have to do your bidding, and then when you’re satisfied, you release me and I leave.”

“Does what happened really count as summoning?” you questioned. Ayno nodded. “..and do my bidding? I didn’t bid you to do anything.” Ayno’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No? Didn’t you? What do you think last night was?” That? All of that??? “Uh no! That was you demon boy!” The gorgeous demon laughed in earnest showing off the Hollywood-esq smile it didn’t seem a creature like him should have. “That’s not how it works. It’s not about me or what I want. It has to be in you- it’s what *you* want. I just know - I can sense it. But it all comes from you.” You were mortified. That came from you? No no no. That wasn’t you- that was like smut you’d read in a fanfic on Tumblr. Not that it wasn’t awesome, but... “Wait. So you’re stuck here and have to do whatever I want until I tell you to leave??” Ayno’s eyes narrowed. “Something like that.”

*** 3 weeks later***

The smell of coffee pulled you out of bed earlier than you would like on a Sunday morning. You wandered into the kitchen to be greeted by what had become one of your favorite things: Ayno, shirtless, making your breakfast. You paused for a moment to admire the view of his triangular torso, but since he was attuned to you, it was impossible to sneak up on him. He spun around and picked up your coffee cup and strutted down the kitchen like a model on a catwalk to hand it to you. You giggled.

“Did you enjoy the show? Can I have a shirt now?” he pleaded. “Please?”

Please. So human. You’d been working on the human thing. “Of course.”

He retrieved his shirt from the back of the couch and paused at the mirror to look at himself on the way back.  His hair was now chocolate brown, very short on the sides and back, but longer on the top with caramel colored highlights. “I look Asian now.” He confirmed with a smile, as he began fluffing and styling his bangs. He gestured at his new hair, “This is good?” he questioned hopefully. You nodded enthusiastically.

“I think this look will go over better with my family. They will approve, therefore there will be fewer questions.” You explained. He nodded – he didn’t get a choice- his appearance was still subject to your whims. “We can change it up when we get back. I think you’d look great as a blonde.” He arched one eyebrow and eyed you doubtfully as he picked you up by the hips and effortlessly lifted you up to sit on the counter.

“Tell me again about this ‘Thanksgiving’ we are going to.” He asked as he plated your breakfast and handed it to you.

You didn’t answer right away. You stuffed a piece of pancake in your mouth to hide the small wave of guilt that hit you for not having released him yet. Ayno did make great pancakes, but it seemed unfair to keep an accidently summoned demon as a sex slave and pretend boyfriend - even if he was the best boyfriend you’d ever had. He was a good cook, the house was spotless, he had turned out to have a great sense of humor and was a pro at cuddling- as well as everything that came after it. However, you were pretty sure that demons were not supposed to be domesticated, and that this went against his nature…he was probably miserable.

You looked up from the food you had been concentrating way too hard on to find his nose inches from yours. It surprised you, because, if anything, your thoughts and feelings should have pushed him away, not called him to you. He was looking in your eyes in that way that made you think he was staring at your soul (and you weren’t entirely sure he wasn’t).

“I am not unhappy.”

“But this doesn’t seem right.”

He shrugged. “Right is whatever you want, whatever makes you happy.”

“But what do you want?”

He sighed and looked down at your breakfast plate. “My desires do not enter into it. What I want doesn’t matter.”

You placed your hands on his cheeks. “It does to me. What do you want, Ayno?”

“This.” Suddenly, his velvet soft lips were on yours. You were surprised and hesitated for a moment – never before had any of Ayno’s actions been something you hadn’t willed. He pulled away, smiling.

“You allowed me choice. Why?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know…I mean I know you’re a demon, and probably inherently evil, but it just seems like you should have some say in your life.”

Ayno shook his head. “I am not evil. I am owned and managed by evil. But you might be surprised to know that I do have feelings.”

You were surprised actually. “Really?” He nodded. “I assumed that you couldn’t…you never told me.”

“You never asked.” He hesitated a moment, “Why do you keep me here?”

Embarrassed, you went back to playing with your pancakes. Knowing that he deserved an answer, you whispered, “Because I like you.”

He placed his hands on your hips and pressed his forehead to yours. “I like you too. More than any soul I have ever encountered. Is that not how it is done in this world? You like each other so you stay together?”

He made it sound so simple.

“Something like that.” You replied.

[bellamygateoldblog]

​The 100 Aesthetic/Preferences Tag

Tagged by: @blodreina-noumou ty babe!!

This is a tag game about AESTHETICS, not content, plot, characterization, etc. Just keep that in mind.

Rank the seasons from favorite to least favorite:

2 > 1 > 3 > 5 > 4 (me, petty: *won’t even put 6 on the ranking*)

2 - I think 2 has Octavia’s best look, very ‘Grounder In Training’ which was really really cute lol. Then there was the beginning of Clarke’s desent into grime, from pristine princess to getting weighed down with the dirt of her own emotions and percieved obligations and I liked to see it.

1 - everyone is clean and baby-faced and it reminds me of a simpler time. Was a fan of guard!Bellamy hair gel and all, it really brought out the douche in him. This season has my favourite Raven (she GLOWS) and Clarke Sky Babe looks. Jasper’s goggles. Dropship site was iconic.

3 - I appreciated the grimy aesthetic of season three because they really committed to the Goin’ Thru It.

The drastic shift in Jasper’s look was something I really liked. His boyish features are gone and now merely a ghost of innocence remains, in it’s place we have a more mature, hardened demeanor in the form of facial hair and a lack of cute, floppy hairstyle.

5 - we got the spacekru ‘clan’ look! In previous seasons we’ve seen clans have markers indicating who they belong to, Trikru with their earthy colours and wearing leaves, Azgeda with their furs and white paints, and Floukru with their ocean imagery, and now we see the survivors of apocalypse in their bluish-grey space tones styled in a way that makes it absolutely clear they’re all apart of the same group. We see a new headscarf for Emori, still very much herself but refashioned. And no glove! She’s completely comfortable with her new family. The scarf was very unique to her character so someone tell me why after all this they completely threw it out for season 6? Oh yeah it’s because season 6 isn’t real, it didn’t happen, I do Not See It.

All the boys glo-ed up. Loved that. All the girls started wearing their hair looser, Raven has her two strands sneaking out of her signature ponytail- she still very much looks like ‘Raven’ but everyone just in general looks more relaxed, like they’ve had a breather. In terms of the world, I loved the stark differences in the three main locations, and every one of them felt haunting but in different ways. Ghost lands. The wasteland of 5 was almost reminicent of the desert back in season 2, now devistated. The bunker was suffocating and chilling. The valley felt weirdly sinister in all it’s colours.

4 - eventually everyone looked peak skaikru, no longer delinquents in their various multi-coloured bomber jackets, marking their youth, but fully-fledged members of their group. I liked the way s4 almost paralleled s1 in look, they’re all wearing the same colours, but while they are all technically clean, they still look less presentable and exhausted compared to S1. Bellamy, again, like in season 1, is in his guard uniform but it’s more an upgraded and more mature version. In a way it looked like we came full circle. And Clarke and Octavia both going back to a more skaigirl hairstyle was the cherry on top. Luna’s costumes are probably my favourites on the entire show. I have no idea how we went from costumes of such intricasy and consistency to...’what in the name of halloween store clearance sale is that?’ in season 6.

6 - sanctum’s costumes were literally so ugly i don’t even wanna talk about it please don’t make me do it...

ok i go

1) Controversial ik but Emori’s Prime dress missed the mark. I liked the addition of the cape, but, again, it was so bare otherwise. There was no embroidery, no jewels, and the accessories they did give her were clunky and looked cheap. It looked too prom night. She was supposed to be royalty. And she didn’t look like it at all.

2) Absolutely hated the fact they put a pound of makeup on each of the space sisters’ faces. And the fact they gave them all unnaturally curled hair. Meanwhile Clarke and Octavia still somewhat look natural and ordinary so...what’s going on? And why?

Rank Clarke’s hair each season from best to worst:

1 > 6 > 2 > 4 > 5 > 3

some thoughts;

Not a fan of her season 4 hair, and i can’t articulate my dislike very well but why’d her roots get so dark? She never had dark roots in season 1, this character is a natural blonde, and yet over the seasons they became progressively darker and tbh? It started to irritated me. Also I don’t think the cut framed her face quite right? SOMETHING okay? Something about it......

Rank Bellamy’s hair/beard each season from best to worst:

3 > 1,2,4,6 < 5

The real debate: Bellamy in the blue shirt or the tan?

They both look the same to me. lol. Blue.

Clarke’s blue dress or pink dress?

Neither. Both weren’t very good looking. If you were holding me at gun point I’d say blue, but the cut did the opposite of help. And if they were gonna have a moment where Clarke, oblivious to her own *ethereal beauty* and not like the other girls, walks down the stairs ready to throw her hair into a messy bun and get sold to One Direction, they could’ve at least put her in a more suitable dress. Something a bit more glamourous, sophisticated, something to justify the 10 people in the room staring up at her in awe. It’s such a casual, tasteless dress? And she isn’t even wearing shoes? She isn’t wearing anything shiny, she didn’t do anything to her hair. We saw what other dresses and accessories Delilah had in her closet, the yellow and pink soft-flowing, feminine classy dresses and the pretty headwear she wore in her own short time in the season. But you give Clarke, your protagonist, that unflattering one? One that she so clearly hastily threw on and headed out in? She got two outfit changes, while none of the other main girls got any at all, and they were both ugly LIKE what was even the point?

Favorite Raven season: Her season 1 baby face just cannot be beat, she looks beautiful. And I only use that word very particularly.

Raven’s ark vest or red bomber jacket?

how about that red popper shirt from season 4

Raven’s ponytail or her s6 look?

Ponytail. It’s Raven. S6 look betrayed what her character was about.

Favorite Octavia season: 2! I love the baby grounder look.

Octavia’s hair in s2 (the braids) or s4 (the ponytail)?

The braids just because they were more interesting to look at.

Blodreina or Skairipa?

Blodreina. Like I said somewhere up there ^ that whole costume was a breath of fresh air.

Favorite Murphy season: S5!

Murphy with long hair or short hair?

I appreciated the rat boy look while it lasted, but the short hair makes him look good, while his other hairstyles pretty much were just there to contribute to the climate of his character.

Favorite Monty season: 5. Bout time they made him look grown. He’s actually a pretty ruthless and passive aggressive kid, the fact he looked so sweet in previous seasons really tricked a lot of the fanbase into believing he was some tiny cinnamon roll.

Favorite overall episode: I’m awful at seperating episodes. I just can’t do it lol

Favorite scene of all time: I just don’t have the best memory for these things. I quite liked the reveal of Blodreina, the transition is takes from Cooper in the very first arena fight to current day, and it switches from blue to red, and slowly reveals Blodreina. The music change gave me chills. Everything about the scene just felt really dark and eery. I was uncomfortable. And I loved it.

Biggest wish for s7: Visually/aesthetically, decide which style you’re going for. I’ve said this before somewhere but Sanctum was a confusing mess of sci-fi, royal, prom night, and divergent amity. Pick one and get back to me.

I want a better designed world. I want all the set and costume designers to actually communicate and work together to make the world look like something professional and not a cosplay convention on a cheap set with a big paper mache castle.

Also I’d love for all the girls to not be all dolled-up. Give Raven her ponytail back, I’ll even settle for the low pony. Give Emori her headscarf back. And go get them all some face wipes. Maybe give someone other than Clarke an oppurtunity to wear something besides their murder gear. And maybe make that something actually good looking. Put some effort in. Sheesh.

I don’t follow many people and most of the ones I do are hibernating lol. I fully encourage someone to steal this. But in the meantime: @johnmurphysreddit​ @awesomenell65​

[televinita]

I FOUND JOURNEY TO SPIRIT ISLAND ON YOUTUBE!

REPEAT, JOURNEY TO SPIRIT ISLAND IS FINALLY ON YOUTUBE OH MY GOD

This was my favorite childhood movie (well, one of two). Flat out, full stop. I was obsessed with it at age 11 and nothing unseated it as my fave for years; I must have rented it from the local video store at least a dozen times. When they went out of business in 2009, I bought it at their clearance sale even though at that point I didn’t have a working VCR (and I still don’t, but I hang onto the VHS anyway), because it was never released on DVD and to my knowledge, it’s never been released on a streaming service either.

Over the years I have regularly attempted to find it on both free and subscription sites, or a way to buy a digital version, and always been met with bupkis, at best connecting with a few other desperate souls who also remember it and lament our collective misfortune about its disappearance. At some point in the 2010s I came across my other obscure childhood fave on DVD -- The Legend of Wolf Mountain, a film that is much worse script AND concept-wise, but which I nevertheless continue to love with the intensity of 11-year-old Me every time I watch it -- but this much better one continued to elude us all, beyond the occasional 90-second trailer.

And now it’s HERE. A click away. I am actually trembling a little at the prospect of hitting “play,” I’ve wanted this so long. But I’m not in the slightest bit afraid of being burned by nostalgia -- I remember it vividly from beginning to end and I remember exactly how haunting and moving I find it. I just can’t believe I am finally - finally! - going to experience that again.

[alyhollywood]

Why the fuck can’t people be happy for you when you are stoked about something? Let alone like it’s none of their damn business how I paid for something and how do they think I have no need for a planner ?! Like i don’t know about you but me I can’t even remember what I did last week on specific days let alone remember I scheduled a doctor appointment weeks or months from now. I can’t use my phone I ignore and swipe shit away even in my sleep, hell I have even answered and had full phone calls totally asleep because I’ll see it on my call log or someone will bring it up and I’ll be like uhhh we talked ?? Hah. Truly being a Virgo and the fact I am just an organized mess in general I need a damn planner to keep all the zillion things tracked and know when I went where or saw who when it took this or that mes at what dates. I mean literally if your female you know every time a doc. Office visit one of the first things asked is when was your last period? Like I’d rather be able to just grab and flip open my planner to answer then look like a total dumbass saying I don’t know but I know I’m not prego lol cuz they never believe you hah. And then follows a mini lecture about importance of knowing your cycles even if you are on the pill or any other sort of device used. Ptf. Or you sit there trying to remember and looking back in your phone at dates and remembering you took a selfie or a pic of something during your time of the month so you try to find the pic to find a date to give them as they stand there tapping their shoe or pen on the forms and give you this what a total ditz expression. Me without a planner I will miss things accidentally or double book plans, and always be late. Okay I tend to be late anyways but not because I had remembered the wrong time or something like that.

I also am beyond perplexed how people in my world could say I’m not actually sick or I’m lying about that having been why I’m not in school or working right now. Like uhh how the fuck did they miss that one I mean it’s not like I didn’t post while dying in the hospital or throughout this last year journey. It’s been such an ordeal I even got a christmas gift of a custom made charm to mark the whole journey that has taken more inner strength and positivity then I even knew I had within me. Like really having to defend I almost died last year is so absurd I just end up being sick of the argument defending the facts that clearly they are so far removed from my life at this point they didn’t bother to notice and that’s on them they can go back and look at social media for their proof it’s all there. Some relatives even see me now and don’t realize like how bad I was since I’m thankfully not in that state anymore and roll their eyes as if I’m just lazy and making excuses. I still don’t have doctor clearance and they still are trying to sort out wtf any of it was. I’m pretty sure the mass will be an unsolved question that I pray was a one time fluke or something.

I just have to keep focus on the people who matter most and opinions should have any pull are those who have been there for me through my ordeal. The ones who truly care about me that were not around know me well enough to know I wouldn’t lie to them and fully believe me when I tell them what went on while they have been away or why I wasn’t in touch. Not exactly easy to stay in touch when at times I couldn’t even write with either hand my initials signing forms. I also most of last year was in so much physical agony it was overwhelmingly taking precedence over doing anything despite even trying to do tasks I wanted to do it was not allowing. The people who matter don’t care what I look like or if I’m a goddamn mess in a dark place because they know if it were opposite I’d be there for them without judgement. I don’t get why whenever I get to have anything even if it’s something I gifted myself because I’ll worth it can’t people not just be content or stoked with me that I’m jazzed up about something even if they don’t understand.... like a tarte eyeshadow palette that launched in 2015 I waited until it was on sale in sept 2019 for one day only 50% off and stayed up to buy it the second it hit midnight before it could sell out. I know my homeboys could care less or begin to understand anything makeup really but they humor me and are stoked with me that I got a killer deal and admire my patience to buy it at a more reasonable price point and my drive to make it happen lol.

Like why be bitter or cruel? It’s not necessary. Don’t rain on someone else’s parade it’s just messed up. Be happy for them or don’t say anything. Knocking them down is just a reflection of what a negative unhappy person you are in the end. I mean happiness for me is really hard to come by. People love to destroy it anytime I get a small dose and that is just messed up. I actually have a type of depression where I’ve been here so long I don’t consciously know I’m depressed. My highs are what would be average persons normal. My norm is low. And my lows are potentially fatal due to their danger of how dark I go since I’m already starting at low as it is it’s not a place that’s okay for me to be in especially living alone so for those who like to rain on my rainbow you are truly the worst of the worst because admit it or not you by hurting me with words are placing my life at risk because it’s not like I only have one person who decides to be that way it’s the multitude and then it’s like fuck this I want out cuz apparently happiness isn’t supposed to be something I can afford or be able to be on point getting shit done and functional instead of being stressed anxiety ridden and a total haphazard scrambling to make it through the week state of being.

I also am really sorta done with socializing for another reason lately. I am fed up with people taking my belongings and then trying to make it seem as if they asked and I said yes after the fact of doing so. No my stuff is mine you do not just help yourself and not ask specific and if I say no It does not mean then steal it. Like if someone asks me for a water sure go grab one but that does not mean drink all I got and leave me fucked over with no water for days since not having a car not like I can just go buy a case and easily bring it home. If I have a subscription to something chances are I can’t find my size or whatever in stores and can’t buy it for full retail price so you stealing it makes it impossible for me to replace let alone pissed the fuck off cuz you violate my trust and disrespect of my home I can’t trust you around anymore you blew it. I hope what you stole was worth it cuz now we’re done. Never had anyone who breaks shit here or taken replaced what I then have to add to a list of stuff to buy that sets me back further especially when it’s an item I already had replaced cuz why bother I’ll just go without instead of replacing and continue to have jacked and be without anyway. I mean Stealing from people is fucked up. Steal from stores they have funds set aside to manage that happening and be okay. You steal from someone you just hurt them in more ways then you can begin to fathom let alone the psychological damage. Any time I think I got a handle on it then I find nope I really don’t I should just cut everyone out cuz clearly making good friends I was more a fail at then I thought. I may be alone and it be hard but at least I save myself the devistating losses and upset of stuff going missing and the anxiety and stress of people and their true intentions or actions around me let alone safety being not at risk in some form.

I just want to be fuckin happy. Let alone not have someone decide to try to demolish it.